The Magic Touch(less)

In recent times the name Beissbarth has become all but synonymous with their new Touchless wheel alignment system, and if the company’s presence at Brityrex was anything to go by, they don’t mind this at all. The aligner, often referred to using the words ‘revolutionary’ and ‘breakthrough’, took centre stage at the Beissbarth stand.

“This is the biggest advance in wheel aligner technology that I have ever witnessed in more than 30 years in the industry,” said Beissbarth UK managing director Philip Hodges. “Aside from pinpoint accuracy, there are enormous time savings per vehicle on the current process, which will build both capacity and turnover in all busy workshops.”

The Touchless system, previously reported by Tyres & Accessories on several occasions, is touted by Beissbarth to offer the fastest wheel alignment ever. The non-contact aligner will, they say, save up to 20 minutes on preparation time per vehicle. “There’s no wheel clamps to mess about with,” a Beissbarth representative commented to Tyres & Accessories. “The vehicle is just driven into position and the results can be seen on screen in seconds.”

He also explained the Touchless “Flash” – a display unit installed in a garage or tyre shop’s reception area – in easy view of customers. When a vehicle is driven into a service bay the Touchless unit can perform an alignment diagnosis in a matter of seconds, graphically displaying the results on-screen. “It is a great revenue generator,” he added. “Customers won’t pay money upfront to have their alignment checked if they don’t know anything is wrong, but if they can see on the screen exactly how out their steering is, they will be happy to spend money correcting it.” The first UK deliveries of the Touchless unit are tipped to take place at the end of 2007, and Beissbarth report that a number of ‘solid enquires’ were taken at Brityrex.

Joining the Touchless at Brityrex was a number of other Beissbarth products, including the company’s other wheel aligners, wheel balancers and tyre changers. Amongst these is the newly introduced Servomat MS67 passenger car tyre changer, suitable for low profile, run-flat and wide tyres. Featuring a pneumatic tyre lift and a hydraulic unit that breaks both beads simultaneously, Beissbarth believe the MS67 provides a suitable solution for even the most difficult tyre and rim combinations.

The recent acquisition of the company by Bosch has left many curious about Beissbarth’s future. Tyres & Accessories asked a company representative whether all was business as usual at Beissbarth UK’s headquarters in Nottingham. “In the immediate short term there have been many organisational considerations,” he replied. “And although Beissbarth will continue as a whole unit retaining its existing structure, of course this has had some effect. But in the medium to long term we are confident the arrangement will benefit both companies. The touchless technology is something Bosch has had an interest in for a while but never with the same success as us, and there are also products that Bosch produce that will enhance our offerings.”