Thomas Built launches corrosion protection treatments

HIGH POINT, N.C. — Thomas Built Buses today introduced a family of anti-corrosion treatments for the Saf-T-Liner C2.

The Thomas Built Buses FleetShield corrosion protection treatments include Tuffcoat, EdgeCover and UnderGuard, each offered to shield specific vehicle parts that are particularly susceptible to corrosion and weather damage.

“These anti-corrosion products reflect our continuing focus on helping customers reduce the total cost of ownership of our buses,” Thomas Built President and CEO Kelley Platt said. “We recognize the need for our customers to be good stewards of their resources throughout the life of our buses, and that extends beyond the initial purchase price. Improving fuel economy, reducing maintenance intervals, increasing the durability of parts and lessening the cost of replacement parts are all part of the purchase decision. These specialized treatments help protect areas of a school bus that are most vulnerable to rust, corrosion and wear, to reduce maintenance and repair costs.”

Thomas Built is offering the FleetShield corrosion protection treatments in response to feedback provided during regular customer meetings and at the company’s twice-yearly focus groups. Corrosion and abrasion are major concerns for many customers, especially in northern climates, where road de-icing chemicals that erode metal are used, and in districts with gravel roads.

Cross-functional Thomas Built employee teams visited customers to see the problems firsthand and to help develop solutions. Company officials said that the result is a variety of durable, flexible, high-performance coatings for key areas of a conventional bus. Each of the products guards against corrosion and weather and is resistant to chemicals, including road de-icing treatments.

FleetShield TuffCoat is a durable, high-performance coating for bumpers, luggage boxes and stepwells. It provides a flexible, textured surface that reduces abrasions and dampens bus noise and vibration.

FleetShield EdgeCover is a clear, protective coating applied on top of standard paint. Also used in the luxury automobile industry, the durable, self-healing formula guards against corrosion and weather damage.

FleetShield UnderGuard is a durable, self-healing, high-performance undercoating applied to the underside of the body to protect against impact and corrosion.

Each product offered under FleetShield corrosion protection is available as an individual option on Saf-T-Liner C2 buses.