Safety expert Ardent is set for a blockbuster showing at the Euro Bus Expo in November, with a brand relaunch and the unveiling of an innovative safety system both taking place at the event.
The company drew significant interest earlier in the year with the announcement it was to formally transition its Forman Vehicle Service division into the Ardent branding. Forman was acquired by Ardent Group in May 2019, providing it with the global infrastructure support and bolstered supply chain it needed to grow. Starting at Euro Bus, the two brands will become one, sharing a unified message and voice.
Now, Ardent has confirmed that its team will also be launching its Pedal Acoustic Feedback system at the event, held between 1–3 November at the Birmingham NEC. The Ardent Pedal Acoustic Feedback system is designed to improve safety on board zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by dramatically reducing the likelihood of a pedal application error by the driver.
The innovative system plays a tone into the driver’s cab that shifts in pitch when the accelerator pedal is pressed, imitating the effect of an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle as the bus accelerates and decelerates. The system also warns the driver if the accelerator pedal is pressed suddenly, or if it is pressed simultaneously with the brake to prevent accidents.
Looking ahead to the show, Neil Crowther, Managing Director of Ardent, said: ‘November 1 marks the beginning of Euro Bus and the start of a new era for Ardent. It’s when we’ll publicly transition what was Forman into the Ardent brand. The expertise and vehicle safety specialism of Forman’s staff has been a tremendous asset to us since they joined the Ardent family in 2019, but we feel the time is right to unify our brand messages and speak with a single voice.
‘As one of the biggest events of its kind in the world, the Euro Bus Expo is the perfect setting for us to launch our integrated brand,’ Crowther continued. ‘Ardent is now an international brand that serves many different sectors with various vehicle safety and electronic solutions, and we feel it is only right that we speak with one voice in every market. This will help us better communicate with both new and existing customers, no matter what their needs are or where they are based.
‘Working together with our customers and partners, we’ll continually drive improvements that allow more people to feel confident about using buses and coaches as their primary mode of transport, and make the journeys safer for all.’
Ardent has been renowned as a world leader in industrial fire suppression for decades. Its acquisition of Forman in 2019 allowed it to further develop into a complete safety solutions provider with a diverse product portfolio that offers a wide variety of safety and accessibility systems to a broad range of sectors.
Crowther added: ‘This strategic move to unify our brands helps us to further develop our global footprint and keeps us at the cutting edge of safety technology. And we’ll have the high-performance systems to back this up on our stand at the NEC. From our new Pedal Acoustic Feedback system to our market-leading, future-proofed ZEV fire suppression systems, attendees will get to see the very best of Ardent at Euro Bus.’
Ardent’s leading range of safety solutions for buses and coaches include automatic fire suppression, pedal safety, messaging systems and accessibility solutions, including an induction loop hearing aid system to ensure hearing aid users can receive important announcements from bus drivers. All of these solutions and more will be exhibited at Ardent’s booth on stand D26, at the Birmingham NEC between 1–3 November.
