Sparshatt Truck and Van will open its new bodyshop facilities in April, with new spray booths.

The Mercedes-Benz Trucks Dealer for Kent and South-East London will be unveiling the new facilities to prospective customers at an open day in Sittingbourne, on April 3.

The two Titan CV booths were supplied and installed at a cost of £330,000, by Todd Engineering.

At 18 metres, one is comfortably long enough to accommodate an articulated tractor unit and 13.6-metre semi-trailer combination, while the second, which is nine metres in length, is being used for vans and smaller rigid trucks.

Sparshatt Truck and Van’s dealer principal Steve Rooney said: “It was our firm intention on purchasing this business just under a year ago, to focus on providing quality solutions, and on adding value at every opportunity.

“The new bodyshop demonstrates our commitment to this strategy, and represents a substantial capital investment.

"We’ve spent a lot more than we need have done for a conventional system, but Greentech’s eco-friendly drying technology holds out the promise of payback over time, through dramatic reductions in energy usage.”

Sparshatt Truck and Van’s bodyshop manager Andy Macrae said: “This is first time we’ve been able to offer a paint service covering trailers, while in terms of throughput we’ve taken a massive step forward.

“Previously, we’d have to wait up to 12 hours for the paint to cure. But we know of home delivery companies whose vans need refurbishing prior to return to their leasing providers, and who want to get them in and out in a day – that’s a service we can now provide.”

A founding member in 1974 of the Mercedes-Benz UK commercial vehicle network, Sparshatt Truck and Van was acquired by a new ownership team in March 2018.

As well as selling Mercedes-Benz and Fuso trucks, it provides aftersales support for commercial vehicles of all sizes and brands.

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