designline - the name we see on the back of so many buses

What is designline?

The view thousands of drivers see in traffic every day

What are the secrets of its success?

Flexibility to meet customer needs
Its founder, John Turton, who worked for a large bus manufacturer, saw that the days for mass-produced buses were over and based his business on niche marketing, offering flexibility of design to meet the customers' needs. The company purpose-builds very distinctive buses to suit customers' requirements. Sometimes they will build a single vehicle to a design which may not be cost effective, but on city bus orders they have been able to achieve economies of scale.

Dynamic and skilled leadership
John is a person of integrity and drive, a tradesperson with an overall grasp of what is needed for the business.

Community support
designline works with customers to stay out in front and remain ahead, whatever it takes. "Whatever it takes" is the motto adopted by the Ashburton community where designline is based.

The people of Ashburton, a small town in South Canterbury, are proud to have such a successful company in their town and pleased that it offers employment in its own staff of sixty and by employing some sixty local sub-contractors, ranging from glaziers to joiners, from engravers to signwriters.

Modular manufacturing
designline is using manufacturing techniques ahead of the world. This has a lot to do with its success, but so has its modular approach to manufacturing.

What is a modular approach?
With a modular approach sections of the bus are made in factories all over Ashburton. Prime manufacturers are today following this trend towards designing in-house and contracting out non-core operations. They want flexible design, but staff costs kept down.

For designline it was necessity that led to this approach. "It has worked," says company founder, John Turton. "Of the six manufacturers existing when we became established in 1985, only designline has survived."

A prosperous agricultural service centre for the previous 100 years, Ashburton had always been enterprising. When farming fortunes declined in the 1980s the community was left with an oversupply of engineering resource.

"We couldn't afford to create a huge workshop," says John Turton, "so it was necessary to work with sub-contractors who would do the specialist tasks." This fully utilised local skills.

Because of the broad industrial base already developed to meet the highly critical agricultural industry, service to customers was already a priority. John says, "I knew that when a contract was agreed it must be completed on time without cost overrun."

The concept of harnessing the resources of the community is not new, but has been developed and honed by designline and Ashburton in a unique manner.

How does the modular approach work?
Customers can come to designline for one purpose-built coach to take tourists along the sands of 90 Mile Beach or for an Australia-wide fifty schoolbus contract. Such diversity of demand can be met by designline because they can draw on what is required for each job from within the community.

The initial specification will be drawn up in discussion with the customer. If new technology and design is involved, David Thornley, Design Consultant in Christchurch will design the new concept. CAD drawings are then prepared by DCD Ltd in Timaru.

There are seven modules involved in the Sale and Contract stage before the Build actually begins. Once the plans are approved by the customer, Design Certification is obtained from Meyer Consulting, Christchurch, and Plan Approval is sought from the Land Tranport Safety Authority, Wellington. Passenger safety and comfort is foremost.

The remaining modules are then Chassis Supply, Production Scheduling, Workshop Specification, Workshop Drawings and Purchasing. Of these seven modules only three are undertaken by designline.

With the Build process, Ashburton technicians and tradesman become a vital part of the equation. There are twelve modules ranging from Engineering, Alloy Framing, Air Conditioning, Glazing, Electrics, Joinery, Trimming, Painting, Assembly, Mechanical, and Signwriting as well as Quality Assurance. Some sixty contractors, all employing their own staff, provide the resources for these modules. designline themselves with their sixty staff are involved in just seven.

Chart of designline module approach (Click here for a larger version)

Modular approach ensures specialist expertise is available. The modular approach means the best technical expertise can be employed.

"When looking for specialist expertise to manufacture the Shuttle, the first ultra low emission buses available in the Southern Hemisphere, we found the most capable experts were located right here in New Zealand " says John Turton. "Our role was to manage the process of integrating their expertise in electronics with what we knew about buses. We had to find specialised motor and inverter technology as well as software for controlling the motor. Our skill was to ensure a production- ready format."

What about quality?
How are all modules co-ordinated and quality standards maintained? The answer is a rigid system of quality control checks and good communication, as well as an enthusiasm from the local community to be part of this success story. No-one will let the side down. Quality is self enforcing.

Integrating an open-minded team
The champion and driver is John Turton, but a large measure of the success in creating an industry of national importance must go to the energies of the community and their flexible approach to changing the industrial base.

designline and Ashburton lead the way.
It is only in recent years that prestige engineering companies such as Rolls Royce have discovered the advantages of flexibility, lower cost and the potential of harnessing specialist Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) resources in a changing industrial world. It must be a matter for some pride that the very pioneers of precision engineering are following designline and the Ashburton community.

Read the next Designline article in NZine outlining some of the projects undertaken by this resourceful and innovative company.