MAINTENANCE UPDATE
The contract, in effect as of April 1, 2020, includes Lawson’s full
catalog of maintenance and repair products.
Region 4 ESC in Houston, Texas served as the lead public
agency for the 3-year contract, which also includes two additional
1-year extensions. Lawson’s initial 5-year contract began in 2015.
Lawson Products has long served state and local government
and education markets (SLED) with a broad range of fleet and
transit, facility maintenance, lawn and grounds maintenance and
water treatment products, as well as vendor managed inventory
services and product training.
“OMNIA Partners is pleased to extend its successful
partnership with Lawson Products to offer more value and
resources to our 60,000 SLED participating agencies,” said Ken
Heckman, senior vice president Partner Development, OMNIA
Partners, Public Sector. “Lawson provides its competitively priced
portfolio of MRO products and services to some of the largest
school districts and government agencies in the country. Public
agencies benefit from Lawson’s high-quality products, superior
service and expertise in helping each customer choose the right
products for their specific applications.”
“We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with
Region 4 ESC and OMNIA Partners,” said Christina Nielsen,
director, Government Sales and Operations, Lawson Products.
“Procurement professionals are tremendously busy, and through
the adoption of a cooperative contract, agencies can build a
progressive procurement strategy while maintaining the highest
levels of procurement integrity.
“Leveraging the power of this new contract streamlines the
sourcing process for procurement professionals and makes it more
efficient to acquire superior products, allowing them to save time
and money,” Nielsen said.
Like all of Lawson’s value-added cooperative purchasing
agreements, the OMNIA Partners contract was competitively bid
and publicly awarded.
Nation’s first wireless charging
infrastructure solution to deploy at
a maintenance depot
Widely known for its in-route wireless charging technology,
Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification (WAVE) recently
announced it has transformed the industry through its initiative to
modernize operations by bringing its wireless charging system to
Josephine Community Transit’s (Josephine) maintenance depot.
This system will wirelessly charge two remanufactured Zero
Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) buses from Complete Coach
Works, with an additional two vehicles being added later this year.
As states across the U.S. continue to mandate more sustainable
regulations on transportation, operators seek cost-effective
methods to reduce investment and operation costs to acquire
cleaner modes of transportation. Smart charging solutions are a
viable economic option to consider with electric mobility.
Traditionally, electric vehicles return to a maintenance depot
for overnight parking where they are charged by overhead
infrastructure or plug-in chargers and placed back into operation
the next day. These chargers require frequent maintenance and
space for electrical equipment.
The WAVE system offers a more aesthetically pleasing option
for a transit agency or fleet operator and takes up much less
space than plug-in or overhead chargers. The system consists
of a charging pad conveniently embedded in the pavement and
transfers power through the air to a receiving pad mounted on the
vehicle’s undercarriage. Its inductive power transfer eliminates the
hassle of cords or overhead infrastructure. The system requires
no cables or connectors and has no moving parts, substantially
reducing maintenance requirements both on-and-off the bus.
“Offering the WAVE system at a maintenance garage, in
addition to its typical en route use, is a unique opportunity to work
collaboratively with Josephine and advance the industry,” said
Michael Masquelier, WAVE’s chief executive officer.
Josephine embarks on a modernization journey with WAVE
who remains at the forefront of the wireless technology industry.
Josephine is one of only four agencies in Oregon deploying 100%
electric vehicles into transit service and will continue to use WAVE
inductive charging at its maintenance depot.
EnerDel welcomes Complete Coach
Works as new distributor
EnerDel, Inc. a leading manufacturer of lithium-ion battery packs,
announced that they have extended their distribution channel
through a new agreement with Complete Coach Works (CCW) to
provide EnerDel’s PP320-738-LP.
This partnership enables Complete Coach Works the rights to
distribute EnerDel’s PP320-738-LP installed in diesel-hybrid buses
for the State of California.
“EnerDel has considered many distribution partners in the past
and we are pleased with Complete Coach Works experience
and presence in the California market,” said Bruce Silk, senior
director of business development with EnerDel. ”Undoubtedly, our
relationship with Complete Coach Works will help us leverage our
products in California.”
Through the Complete Coach Works service network,
EnerDel will be able to strengthen and increase its presence in
the market. Complete Coach Works presently provides transit
services including: rebuilds, repowers, retrofits, alternative
fuel conversions, wheelchair installations, HVAC upgrades,
body work, collision repairs, interior facelifts, complete paint
refinishing, and much more. They also offer an affordable
route to eco-friendly transportation to meet the needs of their
clients’ green initiatives. CCW developed its own system by
taking existing low floor transit buses and remanufactured
them into like-new vehicles containing ZEPS all-electric
drivetrain systems.
“CCW is thrilled about the opportunity to work
collaboratively EnerDel,” said Dale Carson, president of
CCW. “We are eager to introduce a new solution as the next
generation of transit technologies.”
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