Touch Point Products For Off-Highway Vehicles

Southco's products cover access points and user touch points for all interior, chassis and entry applications associated with off-highway vehicles and equipment. Alex Wakeley, industry manager for transportation at Southco said: 'We have a product for everything, from interior latches and fasteners to the cab's entry-door system, and virtually every single access point on the chassis. Southco has addressed everything from precise control of the cab environment, including the angle of the armrest and the position of LCD touch screens, to a range of access hardware options that enable everything to be securely stored yet easily accessible.

The company's platform of intuitive Touch Point products for interior applications include ergonomic latches to secure access panels, doors and storage enclosures, position-control devices that consistently hold display screens, armrests and headrests, and electronic access systems that provide convenience and security for storage, access doors and ignition. Southco has developed a range of off-highway chassis solutions, comprising a portfolio of robust, compact and reliable vibration-resistant latches that provide complete protection from unauthorised access.

They last the lifetime of vehicles, help keep them running and lower the overall cost of ownership by reducing the need for maintenance contracts. Chassis application areas include tool storage, safety guards, engine cowling, access panels, engine hoods and cooling systems. Wakeley added: 'Over the past few years we have created a series of chassis solutions through further developing our existing medium-duty vise-action compression latches, such as the N4 with a large handle and special cup, and introduced new products for applications requiring even more rugged latches.

'These include the heavy-duty N2 folding handle range of compression latches. Southco offers a range of push-to-close R4 rotary latches, actuators and cables for the entry-door system itself. Southco has worked with OEMs to introduce a comprehensive package of electronic-access-control systems (EAS) that the market demands. This EAS range has been designed to combine robust rotary latch security and electronic access convenience in a single integrated solution.

The focus is to address the issue of preventing theft - of both vehicles and in-cab equipment - by incorporating sophisticated access systems into the vehicle design, from key code flexibility to electronic access systems, providing a range of solutions for differing levels of security. Southco has detailed its global full service solution for the off-highway industry with the launch of a brochure pack, which can be customised to meet individual requirements. A complete pack comprises three leaflets, each demonstrating Southco's product and service offer for a specific area of application, namely interior, chassis and exterior. A fourth leaflet gives an overview of the total global service.