Reading Buses have unveiled their new, next-generation Engineering hub at their depot in Reading.
Reading Buses say they are continuing their commitment to improving their operation for both customers and employees alike as they unveiled their brand-new Engineering hub on Wednesday 25 June.
The new offices were completely refurbished to bring a more modern feel, whilst introducing upgrades in technology to help the department run more smoothly and efficiently.
Said Robert Williams, Reading Buses’ Chief Executive Officer; “On Wednesday we officially opened our brand-new state-of-the-art workshop control room following work over the last six months. Our workshop control room is the central hub for monitoring and controlling all our vehicle maintenance activities but was largely unchanged since the building opened in 1998.
The upgrade has been inspired by our 24/7 operations control room, car service centres, and larger shops to provide modern facilities that are both practical and properly represent the company’s values and ethos. Ultimately, we want to be really proud of all the work we do.”
Robert said that the change has allowed; “a suite of screens and computers to display live information that sweep away the previous combination of computers, white boards, notice boards and scraps of paper.”
Four fully configurable screens display the status of the workshop, including:
- a list of the buses in for maintenance, including the reason
- a list of the scheduled 4-weekly inspections and annual MoTs
- a live view of driver daily safety inspection data
- which buses are currently being worked on, and by whom
- a list of vehicle parts on order for specific jobs
In the next few weeks two additional screens will be added to support the company’s new fleet of electric buses, including live battery monitoring and charging status.
Within the engineering hub, a central workstation area provides four computer terminals for engineers to update job cards and look up information from the maintenance system, and space for all the diagnostic equipment below. This replaces an enquiry counter which was designed before computers and diagnostic equipment were in widescale use.
There are desks for the engineering supervisor, night chargehand and engineering administrator, a small meeting room, and the engineering manager’s office. Automatic doors have been installed through to the workshop floor to make it easier to get equipment in and out, and to improve visibility for the supervisor.
Alongside the introduction of more modern systems the refurbishment has made the offices feel ultra-modern, complete with colourful on-brand Reading Buses vinyls to complete the look.
The offices were opened by Robert with a ribbon across the door and refreshments provided for the unsung team of 65 engineers and cleaners that keep the town’s buses in tip top condition. The company are confident that these changes will lead to an ever-increasing pursuit of excellence from the already amazing engineering team.
