News

In the US sci-fi sitcom Futurama, the protagonist Fry is blasted forward in time to New Year 2999 where he finds he is still, alas, a humble pizza delivery boy. Recent trends suggest, however, that many deliveries will soon be fulfilled by automated technologies, whether that is automated trucks, drones or robots. Here, Roger Brereton, head of sales at steering systems specialist Pailton Engineering, looks at why some experts are expecting a greater role for automation in deliveries sooner than you might think.

In November 2000, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an ergonomics standard to prevent debilitating work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Four months later, the standard was culled — ouch. Roger Brereton, head of sales at Pailton Engineering, explains why this was a bad decision and investigates the importance of ergonomic design in bus manufacturing.

Steering system manufacturer, Pailton Engineering has joined the Rail Alliance. The move follows the company’s entry into the rail sector as a supplier of panhard rods and suspension links. The partnership will involve close links with Birmingham University, supporting research into the digitisation of components in rail suspension systems.

In 2019, the US undersecretary of defense for research and engineering predicted that the army would have driverless vehicles before they were commercially available. More recently, Elon Musk has claimed that Tesla will have the technology for fully autonomous vehicles within a year. So, who is winning the race for autonomous vehicle (AV) technology? Here, Roger Brereton, head of sales at steering systems specialist Pailton Engineering, surveys the AV landscape in the military sector.

In 2020, scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) carried out an experiment to see how humans and a new generation of smart machines can work together to change military operations. This most recent test was part of a decade-long annual testing regime known as the Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE). Here, Roger Brereton head of sales at military steering system specialist, Pailton Engineering, explains how projects like this will help the military vehicle industry get over the technical and ethical hurdles it currently faces.

The trolley problem is a classical philosophical dilemma that is used to illustrate the moral conundrum surrounding how to program autonomous vehicles to react to different situations. However, this particular thought experiment may be just the tip of the iceberg. Here Kostas Poulios, principal design and development engineer at steering systems specialist Pailton Engineering, takes a closer look at the ethical dilemmas of fully autonomous vehicles.

Vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) ask for three things when sourcing vehicle parts: good price, quality and service. Here Nick Jordan, head of engineering and quality at steering system specialist Pailton Engineering, explains how one assembly process at its headquarters in Coventry, UK has amped up all three of these ever-important factors.

Steering system manufacturer Pailton Engineering has appointed Karen Birch as finance director. The appointment aligns with a five-year growth plan, reaffirming Pailton Engineering’s unique position in the vehicle design market, as it looks ahead to post-COVID economic recovery.

Earlier this month, the UK Government agreed a financial bailout with Transport for London (TFL), promising to make up some of the revenue lost due to the pandemic. At a time when bus operators and manufacturers are facing unprecedented uncertainty, deals like this will be welcome news to the sector. Here, Roger Brereton, head of sales at steering system specialist, Pailton Engineering, looks at the challenges facing the sector and makes the case for targeted government initiatives to get more buses on Europe’s roads.