As you know, bus bodywork is a team effort in which various departments, all of them fundamental and indispensable, participate in perfect coordination.
At Castrosua, one of these departments is the Engineering Department, which encompasses the (R&D&I, Homologations, and Technical Office) sections, and is made up of highly qualified personnel for the different functions performed within them.
José Fernández Dios is in charge of the Engineering Department, with a total of 35 years of experience in the bodywork sector, 26 of which have been at Castrosua.
Thanks to his extensive professional career, José Fernández has a perfect understanding of the Department’s operations, both at a production and technical level. Today, we want to delve, firsthand, into his work and that of all his colleagues in Engineering. This is what he told us:
You are a veteran at Castrosua, what advances have been made in recent years in the company’s Engineering Department?
The truth is that it has changed in many aspects. Firstly, the team has grown: about 10 years ago it consisted of 6 people, and now we are 15. On the other hand, it is a more prepared team, and there has been a qualitative leap in staff training. This is also due to the need to apply new design tools, more suitable for generating the documentation we need (software such as SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR, CorelDRAW, EPLAN), requiring a certain degree of specialization.
In short, in recent years, human and technical resources have been strengthened. This gives us the capacity to generate all technical documentation with the reliability and detail required by the bodywork process. Most brands allow us direct access to bodywork standards and guidelines and provide us with 2D and 3D files of the different chassis models. Design software allows us to apply different constructive solutions and facilitates the creation of detailed designs of the parts and assemblies needed for the construction process, which was not possible before with the available means. We also produce construction and wiring diagrams for the different electrical harnesses. In this regard, the Engineering Department also develops the multiplexing software for the bodywork, adapting and customizing it for each order.
Certainly, the Engineering Department has grown and improved significantly in these 25 years. We know that the way of working is also different today. Can you tell us a bit more about how it worked in the past?
Before, the Technical Office generated the minimum and essential documentation for each Manufacturing section to carry out its work.
In Structure, the information was quite detailed and complete; it couldn’t be otherwise, as the vehicle must be dimensionally defined, comply with Homologation requirements, and the brand’s bodywork guidelines. With the help of templates and jigs, the necessary structural sub-assemblies were manufactured.
In Sheet Metal, for example, the documentation provided was more limited; plans of the side hatches, passenger doors, driver’s bulkhead, decanter boxes, etc., were delivered. Small parts and various supports were developed directly by the section head with the support and guidance of the Head of the Technical Office or Prototypes. I will always remember the way the driver’s bulkheads were manufactured, entirely of galvanized sheet metal at the bottom, and the skill of the sheet metal workers who made them.
In addition to their responsibility for organizing work, the section heads contributed experience and knowledge in resolving many construction details. When we lacked information requested by the client, such as the vehicle’s electrical diagrams, we had the support of the Head of the Electrical section, who provided us with the information and reviewed the final diagrams. Now we are completely autonomous in this area and generate the necessary diagrams to order wiring harnesses from suppliers or for assembly in manufacturing.
The lists of drawings were smaller, partly because there were other needs and the vehicle equipment was more basic, also because many parts were made in-house using templates and jigs. Now, the lists of drawings for Purchasing and Manufacturing are more extensive. To ensure the traceability of the documentation, in addition to these lists of drawings, we generate lists of parts linked to proprietary design molds that each vehicle has, and we design them if the client has any new needs.
How do you work in the department? What is your day-to-day like?
We have different functions. On the one hand, there is the R&D&I part, where we work on the development of new projects, design parts, define manufacturing and assembly processes, and seek the application of new materials. On the other hand, there is the operational part of the Technical Office, dedicated to generating all documentation related to Manufacturing and Homologation files, from where we keep up-to-date all the legal product requirements necessary for its registration.
The people in the Projects area distribute the Commercial files among ourselves, so that each file has a Project Manager assigned, who is also responsible for identifying potential difficulties and finding solutions before starting to prepare the Purchasing or Manufacturing drawings. We also attend the daily Manufacturing meetings, providing solutions to the incidents or problems raised in them, offering technical assistance to Sales and After-Sales, and generating models and parts using 3D printing technology.
We are experiencing a transition towards zero-emission buses (electric, CNG). Is your team’s effort strong in this regard?
Absolutely. It has been many years since we began this transition towards buses with lower emissions, including CNG, hybrid, electric, fuel cell… We are in contact with brands and Engineering Project companies to explore possibilities of cooperation for the bodywork of their platforms and even the transformation of already bodied vehicles.
How do you feel after the positive reception of the Nelec?
We feel very good, indeed. Everyone involved in the development of this Project trusted in their capabilities and assimilated that we were capable of carrying it out, despite the great challenge it represented. We must also mention that we have had the collaboration of our suppliers and have relied on technology centers such as IDONIAL, CTAG, NAITEC, who helped us with the integration of new components into the bodywork, parts design, and dimensional analysis of ducts.
By achieving this Project, we have gained expertise and generated self-confidence in our Engineering team to transfer this experience to other similar Projects.
As a highlight, it was a pleasant surprise to see how the different polyester parts and other components we received from suppliers fit into the prototype structure. It has been a great satisfaction for us to see how the polyester parts, designed and generated by us from scratch, fit perfectly in place.
When we presented the vehicle, all the components and parts installed were definitive and functional (doors, air conditioning unit, signs, windshield wipers, indirect vision systems, ramps, etc.); none were installed provisionally. To everyone’s satisfaction, the Nelec moved under its own power and all its equipment worked.
The bodywork design is practically digitized. What are the advantages of this digitalization?
The advantages of digitalization are numerous. It allows us to design tooling and jigs based on the 3D structure. With it, we can perform finite element analysis of the structure’s behavior in case of rollover, avoiding the construction of test modules. It also simplifies the iteration process in case of modifications due to non-compliance.
In the commercial sphere, it allows us to make virtual presentations of the product, but completely aligned with the final reality. We can also say that it allows us to start projects earlier, as we are not dependent on the need for a module or chassis to attach the structure to develop many fundamental parts.
In short, it facilitates the study and analysis of assembly solutions for many components without physically having them, allows for air distribution analysis along the duct, or, based on our 3D structure and the 3D chassis, enables us to design and generate the surfaces of the exterior and interior cladding parts as needed.
Now let’s look to the future. What changes can we expect to see in the interior and exterior design of a bus? What more can we do to make it even more attractive?
In my opinion, the new European regulations aim to achieve safer mobility, regulating systems for warning pedestrians and cyclists of collisions, blind-spot information systems, reversing detection systems, intelligent speed assistance systems, driver drowsiness and inattention warning systems, etc., and this will lead to increased interior monitoring of the bus. In recent years, we have also seen that the future will likely bring autonomous driving.
In my opinion, an important aspect would be to develop more open and accessible platforms, especially with a view to improving accessibility at the rear of the bus.
Finally, could you define the bus of the future in one word?
Instead of one, I will choose two: EFFICIENT and ECO-SUSTAINABLE.
