Karcher cleans up with Mercedes Vito
Mobile engineers working for leading cleaning equipment manufacturer Karcher have been granted their wish with the arrival of a new fleet of 10 Mercedes-Benz Vito vans.
The engineers travel the country servicing and repairing Karcher machinery and chose their new Vitos over vehicles by competing manufacturers.
Karcher is a German-owned company whose UK division is based in Banbury, Oxfordshire; its new Mercedes Vito 111CDIs were supplied by Oxford dealer Mudie-Bond.
The vans are the subject of a three-year, full-maintenance contract hire deal with Daimler Fleet Management. They are fitted with internal racking systems by Bott, of Ashby de la Zouch – each carries a comprehensive stock of tools, equipment and spare parts, allowing engineers to work on Karcher’s wide range of products at customer locations.
Although best-known as a manufacturer of pressure washers, Karcher also produces vacuum cleaners and floor cleaners, as well as automated car washes. Its engineers, who provide a service across mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, work from home and are based as far apart as Cornwall and the north of Scotland.
Fleet Manager Heather Lamont says: “Our previous vans were unpopular with some of our engineers, so when the time came to replace the vehicles we decided to consult our staff before choosing.
“We drew up a shortlist of vans that met our criteria in terms of size and specification, then brought in some demonstration vehicles for our engineers to assess. They gave them all a thorough examination before voting for their favourite – and the Vito was a clear winner.”
She continues: “The Vito is impressively comfortable and well-built. We also know from experience, as we have some larger Sprinter vans in other areas of our business, that Mercedes vans are extremely reliable.
“The contract hire package was highly competitive and offers us complete peace of mind, with everything covered under a single monthly payment. The team at our local dealer, Mudie-Bond, also look after us very well, so much so that I really can’t fault their service.”
Standard features of the comprehensively equipped Mercedes-Benz Vito include electric windows, remote central locking and a CD-radio. It also boasts an array of active and passive safety features, including the latest Adaptive version of the ESP anti-skid system, which dynamically monitors the vehicle’s load status while it is on the move.
