Gregory Distribution, one of the UK’s largest and best known independent transport operators, has declared Scania its preferred supplier following extensive and detailed comparative fuel trials involving vehicles from four truck manufacturers.

As a consequence, 300 Scania trucks are now set to be delivered to the North Tawton, Devon-based operator over the coming three years.  Equating to the replacement of two-thirds of the company’s fleet, the bulk of these vehicles will be delivered during 2012/13.

The vehicles will be stationed around Gregory Distribution’s 17 UK operating bases.  Scania’s two year full repair and maintenance support programme has been taken for all vehicles based away from the company’s main operating centre in Cullompton, Devon.  As part of the arrangement, Scania has also been awarded a contract to maintain outbased trailers.

“We are delighted to be re-fleeting with Scania,” comments John Gregory, Chief Executive of Gregory Distribution.  “While we already have plenty of experience operating the marque, before embarking upon such a major order we considered it necessary to undertake trials to determine the performance of the company’s current product range on our operations today.  The results were extremely encouraging and this, backed with factors such as driver appeal and the extensive range of maintenance services offered by Scania around the country, were instrumental in securing this deal.”

Gary Milkins, Business Manager with Allen Ford Swans of Wells Transit

A Ford Transit is set to become a regular sight cruising around Somerset this summer, ferrying a flock of giant swan sculptures in and around the city of Wells as a boost for tourism and charity.

The “Swans of Wells 2012” public art initiative, in celebration of the Queen’s diamond jubilee, will see the 5ft tall swans, each individually decorated by local artists, sited around Wells between the end of May and September. Each of the 60 swans will be sponsored by local businesses.

The Ford Transit, loaned by Allen Ford, is a long wheelbase, high roof model which means it has more than enough room for four swan sculptures at a time. The logistics of tending to the swans are highly complex, says event organiser Megan Witty, who is delighted that Allen Ford of Bath has come to the rescue with the loan of a Transit.

“All the swans have to be delivered to the individual artists, then collected and distributed around the city, and moved here, there and everywhere during the summer,” she said. “We were desperate for a suitably sized van and so very grateful that Allen Ford has been able to help.”

Allen Ford business manager Gary Milkins said the Bath dealer was happy to assist: “We loaned a Transit when Megan staged a similar event two years ago – the Lions of Bath – and it was a roaring success, attracting tourists to the city and raising money for local charities. It is great to be able to help once again.”

Robert Wilmott (right) and Citroen’s Dave Morris

Hewer Facilities Management Ltd (Hewer FM) has just specified a fleet of Citroen Berlingo Euro 5 vans as part of its latest fleet replacement and fleet expansion programme. The Gloucester based company has just taken delivery of 36 Berlingo HDi 90 manual L1 Enterprise vans, which are finished in the latest version of its striking black and red livery.

Robert Willmott, Hewer FM’s Contract Manager, explains; “We have had a long and successful operating experience with Berlingo vans, which now form the majority of our 65-strong fleet. As an environmentally conscious company, every fleet renewal time we carry out a comprehensive review to see whether there is a van that can beat the Berlingo. To date we have continued to acquire Berlingos because of their unbeatable combination of environmental, operational, financial and driver benefits. These latest Euro 5 Berlingos are nearly 10% more fuel efficient than the Euro 4 versions they replace and their CO2 emissions are 13g/km lower.”

Mr Willmott adds; “Berlingos also provide us with other cost savings and productivity benefits, as they are running on 30 per cent biodiesel fuel. Also, the standard fit Trafficmaster Smartnav satellite navigation system and Trackstar stolen vehicle tracking means we have achieved additional cost savings and lower insurance premiums.”

Supplied by Citroën Business Centre, Warners Citroën of Cheltenham, Hewer FM has acquired its latest Berlingo vans on a mix of outright purchase and three-year, 60,000 mile Arval contract hire with maintenance agreements. “Just like the CitroënBerlingos we have replaced, we expect these new Euro 5 Berlingos to deliver on our key environmental, economical and operational requirements. As such we expect them to provide additional fuel cost savings of many thousands of pounds and drive our CO2 emissions down by several tonnes a year,” concludes Robert Willmott.

According to BCA, used van values improved across the board in April by £44 (1.0%) to reach £4,271 as average age, mileage and CAP performance remained virtually static compared to March.

 Average values remain relatively strong in 2012, following the 20-month high recorded in January and BCA’s Pulse data shows average values improved in the fleet/lease and dealer part-exchange sectors – reversing falls seen the previous month in both cases.  Values slipped in the very low volume nearly-new van sector, but this was as a result of model mix.

However, supplies of good quality vans reaching the wholesale market remain limited and competition from buyers for the best examples remains intense.  This is seen most clearly in the year on year figures where values have improved significantly even with age and mileage rising.

Year-on-year, April 2012 was £302 (7.6%) ahead of the same month in 2011, despite the average age climbing by six months to 57 months and average mileage being 5,500 miles higher at 78,000.  Performance against CAP also improved year-on-year, up nearly one and a half points.

 Year-on-year table: All vans

Duncan Ward BCA’s General Manager – Commercial Vehicles commented, “The overall market peaked in January this year, and values have flattened out in the following three months.  But looking at the individual sectors paints a slightly different picture.  Fleet values dipped in February but have risen since then – April values were identical to those recorded in January and are the highest in two years.  This is despite average age and mileage rising and further underlines the shortage of stock as buyers are paying more in 2012 for older, higher mileage vans than they were a year ago.”

Ward added “Previous years suggest the summer months are relatively flat, with a significant spike in values in the early autumn.  The difficult economic conditions mean that many businesses may defer changing their vehicles until there are signs of improvement. Countering this, many new small businesses and sole traders are starting up and a van is often one of the first things on the shopping list.”

Values improved sharply in the fleet & lease LCV sector in April, rising by £127 (2.5%) compared to March.   Fleet vans averaged 99.1% of CAP over the month, a marginal rise compared to March.  Retained value against Manufacturer Recommended Price over 44 months and 70,000 miles was 32.55%, down slightly on last month.  Year on year, April 2012 was £587 (13%) ahead of the same month last year – some of this is value evolution over the period, but it should also be remembered that trading conditions were affected last year by the Royal Wedding and double Bank Holidays.

Year-on-year table: Fleet & lease vans

 Part-exchange values improved by £50 (1.8%) in April, largely wiping out the reverse experienced in March and the first month-on-month increase since the turn of the year.   CAP comparisons dropped a quarter of a point to 98.2%.

 Year-on-year table: Part-Ex vans

Again the year-on-year comparisons underline the growing demand in the LCV sector.  Values for part-exchange vans were ahead by £451 (19.5%) in April – a significant increase and reflecting the heavy demand for ‘budget’ priced vans, particularly from sole traders and new small business start-ups.

Nearly-new values fell by £989 (down 7.9%) to £11,388.  As always, this has to be taken in the context of the very low volumes reaching the market and the model mix factor.  CAP performance improved by nearly a point to 100.89%.

Mercedes-Benz UK has reached the milestone of having 100,000 vehicles on active Service Contracts, with vehicles from smart through to New Actros now covered.

Since the start of 2012, Mercedes-Benz has already added more than 15,000 cars, vans and trucks to its service contracts.

Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle Complete Contracts cover the costs for servicing, inspections and wear and tear repairs, and covers labour, Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts and fluids costs for the length of the contracts, with a number of additional options and cover available for both truck and van owners.

James Ostridge, Service Contracts Manager at Mercedes-Benz UK, said: “We have launched a number of new and revised Service Contracts products in the last 16 months, and ensured that our pricing is simple to understand with a new and used monthly price for each model range, with no variation by body type or engine size. We will continue to ensure that all our Service Contracts offer real value for money for Mercedes-Benz owners.”

Paul Alban

Paul Alban has been appointed as Parts Manager UK & Ireland at Schmitz Cargobull, a role fundamental to the future expansion of the company’s parts operation at its new headquarters in Warrington, Cheshire.

Alban – who marks his fifteenth year with the trailer manufacturer this year – has hit the ground running having been promoted to his new position to oversee all functions of the restructured parts division. He will also be looking to expand the current product range.

Schmitz Cargobull is also introducing an Electronic Parts Ordering System (EPOS), another area which falls under Alban’s remit. The new system allows users to order parts online for next-day delivery, and also serves as a reference point and documentation store for all trailers built by the company.

“Paul’s product knowledge and focus on customer satisfaction have allowed for a seamless transition,” said Paul Avery, Managing Director of Schmitz Cargobull UK. “He has been an integral member of the parts team for more than eight years and I have no doubt that he will continue to strengthen the department further with the roll-out of EPOS and his strong people management skills.”

Warrington now plays home to Schmitz Cargobull UK, including the used trailer sales facility – featuring a three-bay trailer refurbishment workshop – a 634m² parts facility which is now fully utilised to serve as the company’s primary UK parts store, housing over £½ million of original equipment products, and on-site parking for over 80 trailers.

Servcing Mercedes Vans

Mercedes-Benz UK has launched a brand new Online Service Advisor for customers to book a vehicle service, MOT or repair.

The new site, www.mercedes-benzvanservicing.co.uk enables Mercedes-Benz van owners to get a no-obligation quote and also complete an online booking 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The site uses the individual vehicle specification, age and mileage to provide users with a bespoke price for a service, MOT and range of repairs, including: front headlight replacement; brake pads and discs; starter motor replacement; wiper blades; and more.

Customers can choose their preferred Dealer from a selection, listed by nearest first distance. There is also a guide to the services that each Dealer offers.

Ian Dutfield, Customer Services Director of Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles said: “We hear sometimes about the misconception that work carried out by a specialist dealer can cost more, but we’re completely transparent with our pricing and to prove it, we’ve created the Mercedes-Benz Online Van Service Advisor.”

Leif Ostling

Both Volvo and Scania have shown that the European market for trucks is not as dire as feared, as a fall in orders have flattened out and financial results are better than expected.

Scania’s truck and bus orders fell 19% in Q1, much better than the 27% drop in Q4 of last year.

The euro zone debt crisis and a shift to new engines in Brazil has ended a boom in demand causing Scania, amongst others to cut back on production.

“What we see in Europe is a replacement demand coming up,” chief executive Leif Ostling told a news conference. “We see here a pent-up demand coming that will trigger a replacement definitely when we come into 2013, 2014.”

The market for heavy trucks was 241,200 units in 2011. According to Reuters, when asked about his view of the market this year, Ostling said: “When we look at all these euro countries … somewhere around 200,000 to 220,000 (units).”

Harrie Schippers, DAF president commented, “It is estimated that industry sales in the above 16-tonne truck market in Europe in 2012 will be in the range of 210,000-230,000 units, versus 241,000 last year, reflecting a market that is being impacted by economic challenges in the Eurozone,“ He continued, “European truck manufacturers have reduced build rates as well as scheduled factory shutdown days to reflect the lower market.”

VW Vans on Fire

In the first four months of the year VW commercial vehicles delivered 174,200 vans worldwide. This represents a year-on-year growth of 6.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Amarok deliveries worldwide rose by 36.2 per cent to 24,500 vehicles, whilst deliveries of the Crafter went up by 35.2 per cent to 15,600 units. Caddy and Transporter variants maintained their high level of last year: deliveries of the T5 Series rose by 3.5 per cent to 52,700 units; worldwide deliveries of the Caddy went down by 0.2 per cent year-on-year to 49,600.

Deliveries of the Brand in Western Europe for the period January to April 2012 were up by 4.9 per cent, to 93,600 vehicles. This sets Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles clearly apart from competitors and from the market environment.