12 Dec Demonstration day with JOST
Gray and Adams has a long-standing relationship with JOST and has worked with them for a number of years. Gray & Adams partner with suppliers such as JOST to bring new and bespoke innovations to their customers. Gray and Adams create opportunities for their customers to transform ways of working through a responsive service delivery which is tailored to the operational needs of every business they work with.
JOST recently visited Gray & Adams headquarters in Fraserburgh to carry out a demonstration of their KKS Automatic Coupling System. This system enables the driver to couple and uncouple the semi-trailer via remote control – automatically, safely and quickly.
Coupling and uncoupling a trailer is still a lengthy, expensive and hazardous procedure. The truck driver has to be aware of many different things, each of which is time-consuming and poses a hazard to health and safety. In April 2021 JOST introduced the KKS automatic coupling system. It combines efficiency, comfort, and safety on the road and for the drivers. The KKS enables them to couple and uncouple semi-trailers via remote control without leaving the driver’s cabin. The driver is guided through the entire coupling process, with sensor technology providing live information on the KKS remote control throughout every step of the process. For example, the support plate sensor indicates that the trailer plate is touching, and the position of the king pin is also monitored by sensors. Climbing out of the cabin to manually open the fifth wheel, cranking down the landing gear and manually connecting the spiral cable, air and brake connections are all a thing of the past. With 50 per cent less time for the trailer changeover, effectively halving costs per journey leg and truck, the KKS radically reduces the risk of accidents while also reducing the physically demanding aspects of coupling.
John Meehan, JOST Sales Manager for the North or Scotland and Ireland, along with his team from JOST, spent the week in Scotland travelling around different customers, including Gray & Adams, and showcasing the KKS Automatic Coupling System demonstrations on a number of fleets.
The demonstration was carried out to around 8-10 Gray & Adams employees. This close setting allowed the team from JOST to help the team in Gray & Adams understand this new system and feel confident carrying out a number of real-world situations. The demonstrations were hugely beneficial with a number of interesting outcomes coming from the real-world scenarios, reiterating the benefits of learning how to properly use these new systems. As Gray & Adams has customers who are eager to install the KKS, the demonstration day was an important step for the two partners to fulfil the customers’ requirements together.