Hose specialist salutes Mercedes-Benz back-up
Martin Lindsay knows all about delivering great service under pressure – and that’s exactly what he’s already received from his new van supplier, Mercedes-Benz dealer Western Commercial.
As the holder of Kilmarnock and Paisley franchises for Pirtek, the UK’s leading mobile repairer of hydraulic hoses, Mr Lindsay covers much of Scotland’s south-west.
Like his fellow Pirtek franchisees throughout the UK, he is signed-up to an industry-leading, one-hour emergency response pledge. “If an operator suffers a burst hose on a piece of plant or equipment, they can do nothing until we reach the scene and carry out a repair,” he explains.
To deliver on that promise, Mr Lindsay operates half a dozen rapid deployment service vans, which are based at strategic locations throughout the territory for which he is responsible.
The latest addition to that fleet is also his first Mercedes-Benz, a Sprinter 313CDI which was supplied by Western Commercial, Glasgow, and is now supporting customers in Argyll and west Dunbartonshire across a range of industries, from construction and mining, to waste and food processing, and defence.
Powered by a low-emission 129hp Euro 5 engine, it was racked out by Edstrom, of Corby, and carries a comprehensive stock of hose and fittings, together with equipment including a crimping machine, a powered chop saw and a compressor, for replacing damaged high pressure hose assemblies on a wide range of equipment.
Mobile engineer Graeme Allan uses every kilo of his new van’s 3.5-tonne gross weight and, because it ventures regularly onto rough sites, the Sprinter has also been specified with uprated springs.
“I liked the look of the new Sprinter but it was the high level of after sales support that Western Commercial was offering, which convinced me to give Mercedes-Benz a try,” says Mr Lindsay.
“When the van needs a service, for example, we can drop it with the dealer at 5pm, let them do the work through the night, and then pick it up first thing next morning, so we don’t incur any downtime. That’s a facility our previous supplier cannot offer.”
Within days of setting his new Mercedes-Benz on the road, the Pirtek franchisee was able to put Western Commercial’s customer service commitment to the test – and the dealer passed with flying colours!
“Somebody ran into the front of the van and it was quite badly damaged,” recalls Mr Lindsay. “The accident happened on a Thursday, Western delivered it to their approved repairer the following day and I had it back on the Monday, complete with a new bumper and grille. The dealer reacted very quickly and handled everything, so there was minimal hassle to me – I was very impressed.”
He continues: “Graeme loves the fact that his new Sprinter is so comfortable and spacious, while I’m also reassured by the excellent reputation for reliability that Mercedes-Benz vans enjoy.
“These are very specialised vehicles and I can’t just hire an off-the-shelf replacement in the event of a breakdown. Given the one-hour response commitment that we offer our customers, I need to know my vans will be up to the job when the pressure’s on.
“These are still early days,” he adds, “but I’m very encouraged by all that I’ve seen so far of Mercedes-Benz and its dealer. If things continue to go well, as I confidently expect they will, then I intend to replace my other vans with Sprinters at the earliest opportunity.”
