Workshop move signals new era for Motiva

The opening of a high-tech workshop complex is set to transform behind-the-scenes operations at Motiva Group.

The company is switching long-established satellite facilities to the company’s headquarters nearby as part of a move to consolidate all of its activities on one site.

The unit represents the first phase of a £700,000 project to redevelop the entire premises in Stoke-on-Trent.

And it will have significant implications for the company, according to group operations manager John Cartwright.

He said: “The workshop signals the start of a new era for the business and it will deliver massive benefits.

“On a practical level, the move gives us much better facilities, far greater capacity and almost doubles our compound space.

“But it also makes us massively more efficient at a stroke and will create significant savings.”

Motiva’s rented workshops in Bucknall, along with a truck centre first opened under the company’s M-Way banner in 1986, rolled down their shutters for the final time last week.

But there’ll be no redundancies with all staff switching to headquarters in Longton - just three miles down the road.

A dated unit formerly owned by a crane hire company has been transformed into a modern, fully-fitted facility featuring the latest equipment.

It houses the company’s commercial body shop and damage repair operation for cars, vans and trucks, with space to carry out MOTs for fleet customers.

The spacious new workshop features two full-length truck pits and seven ramps along with separate bays for welding and spray painting.

Useable compound storage space increases from two acres to four and a half.

Peter Wright, sales director at Motiva Group, said: “Moving our entire technical operation to one site has been our goal for a number of years and I’m sure we’ll reap the rewards.

“Rather than running three workshops over two sites, with two service departments and two service centres, we’ll have everything at our headquarters.

“The move will make us far more efficient as it will streamline the entire operation and, though I can’t yet put a figure on it, it will save us a lot of money in the long run.”

The workshop is expected to open up new avenues for Motiva, with a move into corporate servicing now on the cards.

Wright added: “Better facilities and improved logistics mean we can now target commercial customers who we were previously unable to approach.

“Clients can bring in their cars, vans or trucks and, at the same time, pick up a hire vehicle for however long it’s needed while repair work is carried out.

“It’s another service which adds to our growing portfolio and which complements our customer-focused approach.”

Work to replace the office complex next door to the workshop is now due to begin in October or November and should be complete by the beginning of next year.