Lining firm drawn back to Mercedes Sprinter
It makes a mark wherever it goes but Staffordshire-based Gilvar Lining is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint after investing in a new, low-emission Mercedes-Benz van.
The Barton-under-Needwood company has added the 3.5-tonne Mercedes Sprinter to a 12-strong fleet which is dominated by vehicles bearing the famous three-pointed star.
Its latest Sprinter features Euro 5 engine technology – Mercedes-Benz was the first van manufacturer to achieve the tough new EU emissions target, which came into force in October.
As well as being cleaner and ‘greener’, Euro 5 Sprinters are also smoother, quieter and more powerful, and significantly cheaper to run. The 313CDI model, for example, is 15 per cent more fuel-efficient than the popular 311CDI it replaces. Thisequates to an extra 4.5 miles per gallon, while CO2 emissions are cut by 13 per cent.
“The Sprinter is the most reliable van on the market,” asserts Gilvar Lining’s Managing Director Mark Davies. “We’ve been running them for more than 15 years and they just keep getting better.”
Gilvar Lining has been marking out roads, car parks, factories, schools, playgrounds, sports courts and hospitals for more than 25 years. Its clients include major companies, NHS trusts and local authorities.
The firm’s fleet is dominated by the three-pointed star – as well as seven Sprinters and three smaller Mercedes Vitos, it also operates a pair of 7.5-tonne Mercedes Atego trucks.
Supplied, like all of its Mercedes,by Derbydealer Mertrux, Gilvar Lining’s latest Sprinter pulls a trailer that carries line-marking equipment, including the thermoplastic material that is applied to surfaces.
The maximum permitted towing weight of 3.5-tonne Euro 5 Sprinters has been increased to the same figure, 3.5 tonnes. And for those vans which, like Gilvar Lining’s, are fitted with trailer couplings at the Mercedes-Benz factory, the Sprinter’s Adaptive ESP® anti-skid system is set up to incorporate ESP® trailer stabilisation. This recognises ‘sinusoidal oscillations’ around the vertical axis of the vehicle – coloquially known as ‘snaking’ – and intervenes by applying the brakes to bring the van and its trailer safely back into line.
“Our employees are very pleased to be travelling in Mercedes,” says Mr Davies. “It’s the overall package of comfort, reliability, practicality and safety that appeals to them.
They particularly like the wide-opening side load doors, which are very useful when you’ve a trailer hooked up to the back and can’t get at the rear doors.”
Gilvar Lining also took delivery this year of a 2.7-tonne Vito 120CDI van, which Mr Davies uses as his personal transport, as well as for work. Powered by a turbo-charged 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine that pumps out an impressive 204hp, it also boasts a five-speed automatic transmission, multi-function steering wheel and Comfort driver’s seat, as well as colour-coded bumpers and 17-inch alloy wheels.
“The Vito replaced a company car that used to cost me three times as much in tax,” says Mr Davies. “What’s more, I was forever folding the car seats down to get all my gear in. The Vito is every bit as comfortable but has the benefit of the extra load space.”
He adds: “Mertrux sales executive Frank Murray has been excellent to do business with. He’s straightforward and honest – his word is his bond.”
