The administrators of Manganese Bronze Holdings have announced that a solution to the steering fault for the TX4 model taxi has been found.
“I am pleased to be able to report that the company's employees will be part of a massive effort to begin fitting the new UK-supplied steering box to the recalled fleet within the next 48 hours. Having secured replacement parts for the entire recalled fleet, the programme to fit these new components has been devised so that all recalled fleet cars will be fitted with new replacement parts by mid-December."
– MATTHEW HAMMOND, JOINT ADMINISTRATOR AND PWC PARTNER
http://www.itv.com/news/central/update/ ... se-bronze/Notice 22/12
Steering Box Fault in TX4 Taxis
Technical Solution and Remedial Work
This Notice is issued further to PCO Notices 17/12, 19/12 and 20/12 regarding the manufacturer/VOSA recall and subsequent suspension by Transport forLondon (TfL) of the licences of late model TX4 taxis affected by a steering box fault.
Since the recall announcement, Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor’s Office has been in constant dialogue with Manganese Bronze Holdings and the joint administrators to understand the technical nature of the recall, the steps that are being taken to identify and implement a solution and the impact of the decision to enter administration.
Through this dialogue TfL can now confirm that following intervention by the Mayor and TfL, Manganese Bronze Holdings and the joint administrators have now advised TfL that a technical solution to the fault has been identified.
Finance and logistics are also in place to commence the programme of work and it has been confirmed to TfL that this will be within the next 48 hours. TfL has requested that the rework programme prioritises London taxis.
London Taxi Company (LTC) will be carrying out the rework programme systematically, based on the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the taxis and anticipate that all London taxis will be completed by 14 December. All remedial works will be carried out at their premises in Brewery Road.
LTC will contact the vehicle owners of the affected vehicles and arrange transportation to the Brewery Road premises.
On completion of the remedial works for each taxi, LTC will issue a certificate to the owner of the vehicle. It is important that this certification is carried in the vehicle at all times and can be presented to Police Officers, TfL Compliance Officers and at the time of the taxi licensing inspection.
TfL will remain in close contact with Manganese Bronze Holdings and the joint administrators to ensure that all affected taxis are operational as soon as possible.
TfL’s priority is, and will remain, to ensure the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users and to assist drivers, where possible, affected by the recall.
The current position is as follows:
LTC initially announced that 440 vehicles across the UK are affected by the recall, of which, 316 are licensed in London
LTC has now identified a further 16 UK wide taxis affected by the recall, of which 9 are in London. This takes the total to 456 taxis across the UK and 325 TfL licensed taxis.
A full list of the affected London taxis, including the additional 9 taxis recalled during week commencing 12 November 2012, as provided to TfL is attached as Annex A.
The recall is due to a serious fault in the steering box and therefore the affected taxis must not be used under any circumstances until such time as the remedial work has been carried out and certificated by LTC.
While the recall has been described as “voluntary” this does not make it any less serious or imply that drivers/owners should not comply with the recall. The licences of all 325 licensed taxis remain suspended by TfL.
Further information and guidance visit the LTC website at london-taxis.co.uk, call the LTC Customer Support line on 02476 572000, contact TfL by emailing
TPHEnquiries@tfl.gov.uk or contact your driver association.
John Mason
15 November 2012 Director Taxi and Private Hire
For previous PCO Notices visit tfl.gov.uk/tph
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STRUGGLING black cab manufacturer Manganese Bronze has announced it has found a solution to the steering problem which forced it to recall more than 400 of its vehicles, effectively tipping the business into administration.
When the fault was discovered the Coventry firm put an immediate freeze on further sales of its TX4 vehicles – a move which starved it of new revenue.
After a suspension of shares last month, the business collapsed and administrators from PwC were appointed to mount a rescue operation.
They said their immediate priority was to rectify the steering fault – traced back to faulty supplies from China - so the cabs could get back on the road and the sales ban could be lifted.
In a statement, the administrators said: “Since being appointed, the joint administrators have focused their resources on developing and testing a solution to repair the steering manufacturing defect as quickly as possible, working closely with The Mayor, Transport for London (TfL), the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA), other drivers’ organisations and the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).
“The administrators today confirmed they have secured supply chain availability and logistics to begin a rapid replacement of the affected parts in the recalled fleet with new steering boxes from a UK supplier. Starting this weekend, the programme of works is targeted for completion by December 14.”
http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/westmidl ... tion=54023
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