Sony Expands OB Vehicle Production Facility
Enhances coach building and broadcast system supply, design and installation
SYDNEY, 26 May 2016 – Sony Australia has further expanded its unique OB vehicle production facility in Beresfield near Newcastle, north of Sydney. The facility, unique in Australia and the greater Asia Pacific region, has been responsible for building some of the latest and most high tech OB trucks ever seen in the Southern Hemisphere and includes vehicles for NZLIVE New Zealand, TV3 Malaysia, NSW Racing Australia, TDC Australia and Telstra.
Brett Kilby, Sony Australia Group Manager – Solutions Engineering, explained, “The original reason we built the Newcastle facility was to expand the capabilities of our operation when we were at North Ryde with the addition of being able to provide the coach and vehicle build along with adding significant broadcast system supply, design and installation services. The success of the Beresfield plant has been unprecedented and as such we have expanded our services and facilities to match.”
Sony’s Beresfield OB production facility was custom built to allow for both vehicle build and broadcast installation together. According to Kilby the planning for the plant and its expansion leaves little they cannot produce in terms of mobile broadcast vehicles and results in major benefits for their clients.
Kilby continued, “At the far end of the facility is where the heavy metal, cutting and welding of the build happens. The chassis will arrive at this end where the floor pan structure, outer body panels, lower locker, entry doors and air conditioning system are manufactured and fitted to the chassis. Once at lockup stage the internal flooring, ceiling, carpets, racks, cabinetry and power are manufactured and install into the vehicle, at that point the vehicle is “rack ready”. It is this “rack ready” state that usually requires a separate company to provide the vehicle but we are able to build this from scratch. Once “rack ready” we can start the installation of the broadcast equipment.”
Sony Australia’s Solutions Division also provides studio and other fixed installations where the Beresfield facility will manufacture custom racks, flyaway racks, carpentry and benches to be used in the installations.
Kilby added, “At the Beresfield facility we have expanded to now specialise in three main areas, custom vehicle design and build, broadcast system design and installation (including studio projects) and the design and installation of air conditioning and power systems. This allows us to give our customers a true full turnkey solution, something no other facility in the region can.”
As well as servicing the broadcast industry, Sony’s Beresfield facility has produced medical vehicles for CT, mammogram, MRI, on-site triage, X-ray and Dexa scanning units and specialised security vehicles.
Brett Kilby, Sony Australia Group Manager – Solutions Engineering, explained, “The original reason we built the Newcastle facility was to expand the capabilities of our operation when we were at North Ryde with the addition of being able to provide the coach and vehicle build along with adding significant broadcast system supply, design and installation services. The success of the Beresfield plant has been unprecedented and as such we have expanded our services and facilities to match.”
Sony’s Beresfield OB production facility was custom built to allow for both vehicle build and broadcast installation together. According to Kilby the planning for the plant and its expansion leaves little they cannot produce in terms of mobile broadcast vehicles and results in major benefits for their clients.
Kilby continued, “At the far end of the facility is where the heavy metal, cutting and welding of the build happens. The chassis will arrive at this end where the floor pan structure, outer body panels, lower locker, entry doors and air conditioning system are manufactured and fitted to the chassis. Once at lockup stage the internal flooring, ceiling, carpets, racks, cabinetry and power are manufactured and install into the vehicle, at that point the vehicle is “rack ready”. It is this “rack ready” state that usually requires a separate company to provide the vehicle but we are able to build this from scratch. Once “rack ready” we can start the installation of the broadcast equipment.”
Sony Australia’s Solutions Division also provides studio and other fixed installations where the Beresfield facility will manufacture custom racks, flyaway racks, carpentry and benches to be used in the installations.
Kilby added, “At the Beresfield facility we have expanded to now specialise in three main areas, custom vehicle design and build, broadcast system design and installation (including studio projects) and the design and installation of air conditioning and power systems. This allows us to give our customers a true full turnkey solution, something no other facility in the region can.”
As well as servicing the broadcast industry, Sony’s Beresfield facility has produced medical vehicles for CT, mammogram, MRI, on-site triage, X-ray and Dexa scanning units and specialised security vehicles.
Brett Kilby concluded, “We can build multiple vehicles simultaneously from the smallest van-type vehicles through to the very large double expanding semi-trailers. All in all as a result of our expansion we truly believe we have the most unique production facility of its kind in Australia and the Asia Pacific region.”