Half a million wanted to develop shock absorber

Good suspension can improve vehicle performance, cut maintenance costs and keep drivers alert. MIKE PRESTON reports.

By Mike Preston

Every Tuesday ‘Money Wanted’ features a new entrepreneur or inventor pitching their products and services.

Entrepreneur: Bill Allardyce
Industry: Manufacturing, transport
Company name: Roberston Suspension Systems
To: Develop shock absorber technology and start manufacture

Bill Allardyce (right) says he has been excited about the Robertson Suspension Systems (RSS) shock absorber since he first laid eyes on it four years ago.

“It was love at first sight. I said this will turn over in excess of $100 million the first day I saw it, and I still think that’s true,” says Allardyce, who previously worked in harvester prototyping and is now RSS’s company secretary.

Victorian-based RSS has developed a vehicle shock absorber that uses hybrid air–hydraulic suspension, which Alardyce says sets it apart from conventional shock absorbers that rely only on air or hydraulics.

Allardyce claims the RSS shock absorber’s innovative design results in smoother ride, less driver fatigue, better handling, better cornering and improved tyre life by anything up to 80%.

This can mean a crucial cost saving on tyre replacement and vehicle maintenance and improved safety in the trucking industry, he says, the sector where RSS is focusing its marketing and development efforts.

RSS had initially planned to allow others to manufacture the shock absorber under a licence arrangement, but a lack of viable offers led RSS to develop its own manufacturing capability.

It is now producing a product that, at about $450, is about $200 more expensive that standard shocks, but is ahead on quality, Allardyce claims. “These are the Mercedes-Benz of shockers,” he says.

RSS is now looking for an investor with about $500,000 and, preferably, experience in the shock absorber industry or manufacturing, to help establish its product in the trucking industry both in Australia and abroad.

Allardyce says the money will be used to improve quality control and expand manufacturing volume in China, a move he says will increase quality and bring down prices.

Part of the funding will also be used to fund testing at a high-tech lab in Bath University in Britain with the objective of scientifically verifying the RSS shock absorbers’ technical superiority, Allardyce says.

Contact: Bill Allardyce, +61 3 5263 1396

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