A New Kind Of Mobile Service

When you hear of mobile service you usually think of service vans or trucks dodging through traffic to make an emergency service call. But, for Thermo King technician Loren Anderson, vans and trucks were not very helpful. That's because Anderson troubleshoots multiple stations along two assembly lines inside Gillig Corporation, a major bus manufacturer near San Francisco. In addition, he makes repairs on buses that could be anywhere on Gillig's 20-acre facility.

So, Loren's employer, Thermo King of Northern California, decided to convert an electric golf cart for Loren to keep his tools and parts handy. Co-worker Mike Woolf put together a service package that is smaller than a van or truck in size, but equal in serviceability. Now Loren can move easily and quickly from line to line or go anywhere on the lot in a matter of minutes without having to pack and unpack tools.

"It has really given me the professional edge I needed to keep up with the growing bus business," Loren said about his new method of mobility.

Gene Ellis, president and general manager of the Thermo King of Northern California, said, "This modified golf cart has already shown a return on investment. The attitude and cooperation of the Gillig employees toward our technician has improved to the point that he has become one of their team."

Meanwhile, the folks at Gillig are pleased. According to Steve Hasson, Gillig plant manager, "The cart really helps Loren get to problems quickly, before they impact production flow and become a major issue."

If you are wondering why a Thermo King technician is at Gillig in the first place, it's part of the service that Thermo King provides to the major OEMs. Once the air conditioning system is installed, each unit is checked out by a Thermo King technician to ensure it functions properly. Any necessary adjustments or repairs are also completed. And that's not all. Once the bus is delivered to the end user, another technician from the local Thermo King dealer checks the A/C unit again. This second check usually goes pretty smoothly, thanks to guys like Loren.