vGroup International has forecasted growth in its fitment of commercial vehicle accessories following accreditation of fitting partners to the Vehicle Certification Agency’s (VCA) approved converter scheme.

vComms, the division which provides a national mobile car and van accessory fitment service, and its partners have secured Conformity of Production (CoP) clearance from the VCA.

That means they are approved to undertake modification to N1 category vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes) and N2 panel vans (3.5-12 tonnes) under the European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) regulations.

VGroup International’s managing director James Nash said: “We are continually looking for reasons for fleets, leasing companies and the wider motor industry to undertake business with the company.

"VCA accreditation to the NI Enhancements Scheme for vComms and its partners further underpins the company’s reputation as a trusted vehicle solutions provider.”

To make the commercial vehicle market aware of the newly won VCA accreditation by vComms and its partners, the company will be exhibiting at the CV Show being held at the NEC Birmingham from April 30 to May 2, 2019.

Accreditation comes as fleet decision-makers, contract hire and leasing companies and franchise dealers are increasingly demanding that vehicle modification work is only undertaken by specialists that have been VCA approved under the ‘NI Enhancements Scheme (for complete N1 and N2 vehicles with ECWVTA modified prior to registration)’.

With a focus on safety, the Scheme governs vehicle modifications that do and do not require type approval separately to the build of the original manufactured van.

Operating a vehicle that has not been type approved breaches duty of care and construction and use regulations, which could land vehicle owners and operators in court particularly if involved in a road crash or involved in spot checks.

VComms’ head Ryan Godfrey said: “The regulations apply to only a handful of the accessories our installers fit. However, many fleets, leasing companies and dealers are taking the view that they will allow only VCA-approved businesses to undertake any van modifications.

“As a result, we believe many installers that have previously undertaken work will lose business and those jobs will migrate to vComms.

“Additionally, a further reason that will fuel demand for the one-stop shop services of vComms is that many major fleets are looking to reduce the cost of administrating the plethora of suppliers they currently have. Typically, a major fleet or vehicle leasing company may require more than 200 suppliers to deliver services.

“However, vComms is the perfect partner to organise the requisite suppliers with one contact point, one invoice and using fully compliant partners underpinned by full public and product insurance. Consequently major companies can reduce the complexity, cost and risk of managing numerous individual suppliers.”

 

 

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