What are you exhibiting at the show this year?
We will be showcasing our extended range of towbars for light commercial vehicles, constructed from high-strength steel, ensuring they are lightweight yet heavy duty and designed to provide the optimum coupling height. There will also be our Sensor Connect system, which seamlessly integrates a vehicle’s OEM reversing sensors into all our products. We will also promote our tool lift system that can be mounted in the side-opening of vans, and our breaker docker product used by utility workers to lift and stow their breaker equipment safely back into the van.
What other key developments do you want to talk about?
In October last year our company gained conformity of production approval by the TUV and Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt to allow us to homologate our rear steps to TUV and ABE standards. This allows our products to be approved to the highest European standards and used on LCV fleets across multiple European nations. In December, we won the What Van? Awards 2022 Aftermarket Accessories Award in recognition of our Senor Connect innovation, which integrates a van manufacturer’s own reversing sensors into the Safe-T-Bar to help prevent expensive collisions. This was a huge win for us and we want to use the CV Show to market and communicate this to our customers.
Why is the CV Show so important to Hope Technical Developments?
The show is the main event for promoting our van and truck safety products. We might not see some customers face-to-face during the year but then see them at the show and have a chat. Networking and meeting existing and prospective customers is very important to us: there’s nothing like having an informal face-to face conversation over a coffee, as opposed to a Zoom meeting. It was a great to be at the NEC when the show returned last year and the footfall was still good. This year there should be more stands and we think it is going to be another great event.
What’s your advice for anyone attending the show for the first time?
Go to the SMMT stand – they have a vital role to play in shaping policy in the industry, and it’s an opportunity to talk to their experts face-to-face. The seminars and expert talks are now a big part of the show, so go and listen to the ones that interest you. If you are a visitor to the show make a note of stands you want to see and prioritise your time. If you are an exhibitor, meet customers at the start or end of the day when the stands are quieter.
What are your anticipated highlights for this year?
The big vehicle manufacturers like Ford always have something interesting and new on display, and I expect it to be no different this year.
Chris Hope, Design Engineer, Hope Technical Developments
