2001 Media ReleasesJump To | |
Oct 01 - Best Bars Frist With Bullbar CompatibilityBest Bars has become the first New Zealand company to make a range of bullbars that are compatible with airbag-equipped vehicles.Bullbars are fitted to a number of farming and recreational vehicles in New Zealand and Australia to protect vehicles from damage by livestock and when venturing offroad. But they have come under the microscope in both countries recently as the industry and legislators work together to lift safety standards. One major issue has been to ensure that bullbars are designed so they do not interfere with the operation of a vehicle’s airbags and deprive the occupants of protection in a head-on crash. Two years of research has resulted in the adoption of a stringent set of tests before bullbar designs are certified as airbag compatible. Best Bars has come up with a unique design for its bullbars, incorporating “crush cans” into the bars that deform, along with the front of the vehicle, in a head-on crash – this design is currently being patented. The bullbars remain strong enough to stand up to smaller knocks. Best Bars wasted no time in redesigning its bullbar range and sending these to a registered testing laboratory in Australia and says that fully certified products are now available to the public for late model vehicles, mostly utilities including the Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Mazda Bounty and Ford Courier. Michael Parker, Managing Director of Best Bars, says:"Bullbars must be designed and manufactured correctly so that the airbags operate in precisely the way they were intended by the car company." As a member of the joint industry committee that has been studying this issue, safety has been uppermost in my mind and I wanted to ensure that the products made by my company met the standards as soon as possible. "At Best Bars we have made a huge investment in researching the safe design of bullbars, using the latest computer technology and innovative features like the crush can. This effort has paid off with the certification of our latest bullbar range." All bullbars made for vehicles equipped with airbags by Best Bars will carry a certification sticker indicating that they are airbag compatible. << BACK TO TOP >> | |
Aug 01 - Best Bars & The Sky Tower ProjectBest Bars has revealed the secret of how it made a 4WD vehicle cling to the outside of the Auckland Sky Tower, 60 metres above the ground, as part of a promotion.They used a towbar. Or to be more precise, Best Bars used the same steel tube and construction techniques that go into the company’s range of truck towbars. People have been asking us what special steel or design we used to hold the vehicle onto the Sky Tower – there’s no secret, it’s the same material we use in our towbars", says Michael Parker, Managing Director of Best Bars Ltd, New Zealand’s leading towbar manufacturer. Our towbars are constructed to withstand huge forces and we calculated that it would be no different for a cradle that had to hold a 1.5-tonne vehicle on the side of the Sky Tower. We were approached to do this job because of our expertise in under-vehicle engineering and the testing facility at our factory. Even though nothing like this had ever been done anywhere in the world before, we knew we could achieve it – even though the task was very complex. Best Bars engineers designed the steel cradle after taking careful measurements of the underside of the Ford Escape. Then it was put through a demanding test regime on a special hydraulic machine built by Best Bars to test the strength of towbars. This not only tested the structural integrity of the cradle, it also ensured that it would stand up to the windage forces on the tower – it was required to have a safety factor of 1.5 times the highest predicted winds of 170km/h. The cradle also had to take into account the radius of the tower and to ensure it would fit, the Best Bars team built a profile of the Sky Tower. Another important factor in the design of the cradle was to make it invisible to people on the ground. So not only did the cradle have to be strong, but fit the contours of the underside of the vehicle to ensure it was hidden . The whole structure and vehicle was attached to the Sky Tower by four 24mm bolts, which were drilled into the 500mm thick concrete shell of the tower. "It would take more than an earthquake or hurricane force winds to shift it", adds Mr Parker. The experience should give truck drivers a new insight into the design and strength that goes into their towbars. << BACK TO TOP >> |
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May 01 - 20 Years Raising The (Best) BarAn automotive business that was founded in a lock-up garage behind a take-away food outlet in Manurewa 20 year ago, has risen to become one of the leading manufacturers of vehicle towbars and accessories in New Zealand and Australia.Best Bars is marking the 20th anniversary of its founding this year, but the company is not sitting back and celebrating. It is currently gearing up to export its products to vehicle companies in Australia for fitting as original equipment – one of the few New Zealand companies to succeed as an OE supplier across the Tasman. So the celebrations may have to take a back seat whilst Best Bars ramps up its business, says Stephen de Kriek, General Manager of Best Bars Ltd. But that doesn’t mean the company will be completely ignoring the milestone, especially as it coincides with founder and Managing Director Michael Parker’s 50th birthday. "I’m not one to make a fuss about either occasion, but I do get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that I have built up a company like Best Bars, that is not only successful, but also provides employment for 70 people", says Mr Parker, who stepped back from day-to-day running of the company a year ago to concentrate on developing new products. At the beginning, Mr Parker was the sole employee and towbars were just a small part of his fledgling car care business. Within six months he had taken on a business partner and began concentrating on towbars. Nine years ago Best Bars moved into its present building next door to Marley and continued growth has seen the company take over a neighbouring building to double the size of the factory. Last year Best Bars celebrated the production of its 500,000th towbar. In addition to towbars, the company also produces the Ezigrip bike rack and a modular cargo deck for fitting to light commercial vehicles. Best Bars is recognised as an innovator and high performer, winning top honours in the local Manukau Business Awards. One of its most noted achievements is to become the first towbar company in New Zealand to gain approved manufacturer status, a new scheme developed by the Land Transport Safety Authority to raise the standard of towbar manufacture in this country. It is part of a move to ensure high standards in towbar design and production, underlining the safety of the product. Poor towbars have been highlighted as contributing factors in some road accidents involving vehicles and trailers/caravans. Mr Parker says the achievement is one of the milestones in the company’s 20-year history and a confidence boost for customers. "We have always considered ourselves a leader and an innovator, but most importantly we are a strong believer in maintaining high standards. That is why we developed our own in-house “patented” towbar testing machine for testing towbars on the vehicle, so that our customers can be sure they meet national and international safety guidelines." says Mr Parker. Best Bars has also attainted ISO9001 registration for its production processes and every welder employed by the company has met the required certification level NZS 4711. Best Bars moved quickly to obtain the internationally-recognised quality standard because it produces “genuine part” towbars for all the major motor companies in New Zealand, with the exception of Mitsubishi and two car companies in Australia. Aftermarket customers also benefit, including those who use the company’s mobile fitting service in Auckland and Wellington. With that kind of commitment, Best Bars aims to be around for the next 20 years as well. << BACK TO TOP >> | |