Mobile hose repair group Hydraquip is to expand its van fleet in 2016 with a rolling order for new Mercedes-Benz Sprinters.
The company has seen its fleet expand to more than 140 vehicles and the vast majority are vans driven by mobile engineers, who work out of Hydraquip’s 20 branches nationwide and from remote bases across the UK.
The current 93 mobile engineers’ vans, almost exclusively Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 313 CDI hi-roof models operated on three-year/120,000-mile contract hire with maintenance replacement cycles, are supplied by Ogilvie Fleet.
The Hydraquip Group has now placed a rolling order for two new Sprinters each month throughout 2016.
When delivered the vans will be fully-equipped mobile workshops capable of manufacturing hydraulic hoses and fitting on-site reducing down time of customers’ plant and machinery operating across many different sectors.
Company founder and managing director Duncan MacBain said the vans would both further expand the fleet and replace ageing vehicles to take the number of units operated to around 120.
The Hydraquip Group turned to Ogilvie Fleet two years ago having historically outright purchased all vehicles. This year the new vans will be supplied kitted out with around £11,500 worth of specialist workshop equipment and racking.
“I had never thought of leasing vehicles before, but quickly discovered the benefits particularly in relation to providing the company with monthly, fixed-costs, which aided budgeting, reducing our maintenance bills and improving vehicle downtime.”
He continued: “We continue to enjoy an excellent partnership with Ogilvie Fleet. The company makes life very easy for us with no fuss or dramas. I benchmark Ogilvie Fleet’s pricing annually and I find what it offers is very competitive in the market. We also benefit from a pooled mileage arrangement across the van fleet to limit the risk of penalty charges for breaking contracted mileage parameters.”
“Previously Ogilvie Fleet has supplied the vans and we have then arranged for them to be kitted out to meet our own high requirements. However, Ogilvie Fleet’s no hassle approach to business and competitive pricing made it more attractive for us to take delivery of fully equipped vehicles.”
The remainder of the fleet is composed of 19 company cars and 28 branch-based delivery vans which the Hydraquip Group presently outright purchase.
“We are on an aggressive recruitment drive in 2016 and that means further fleet expansion. Additionally, corporate image is critical for the Hydraquip Group so it is vital that we have a modern, smart vehicle fleet,” he said.
“We are standardising our mobile engineer fleet around the Sprinter because the model has proved itself to be very reliable, durability is superb and our employees find it an enjoyable vehicle to drive.”
Mercedes-Benz dealers used by the Hydraquip Group for service, maintenance and repair work offer through the night servicing.
McBain added: “The Sprinter’s enduring reliability coupled with out-of-hours servicing availability means that vehicle downtime during the working day is kept to an absolute minimum, which aids our ability to offer top-notch customer service.”
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