GL Profiles puts safety first with Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Cambridgeshire businessman Ray Smith has good reason to thanks his lucky stars – the three-pointed stars, that is, which proudly adorn the grilles of his Mercedes-Benz vans.

That’s because Mr Smith was driving one of his company’s Mercedes-Benz Sprinters on the M6 near Coventry recently, when it was struck by another vehicle and rolled over.

“I could have been seriously injured but instead I emerged with nothing worse than a few scratches and bruises,” he recalled. “I was very impressed – and not a little relieved – at how well the Sprinter cab stood up to the impacts.”

Mr Smith is the Managing Director of Chatteris-based GL Profiles, a fabricator from sheet metal of flashings, gutters and associated products for the building industry. So he was also able to appreciate on a professional level, the strength and quality of his vehicle’s reinforced safety cell.

“We are always conscious of our Duty of Care obligations to employees,” he continued, “and safety was one of the main reasons I switched to Mercedes-Benz from our previous van supplier five years ago.

“I’m certainly glad I did so, because the consequences of the accident might have been a lot worse for me had I been driving another type of vehicle.”

All Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Vito vans come with a comprehensive array of active and passive safety features as standard, including the latest Adaptive version of the ESP stability system.

Established 15 years ago, GL Profiles operates a fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis cabs. All are 3.5-tonners supplied by Peterborough dealer Intercounty Truck & Van and fitted with dropside bodies by Newland Coachworks, of Northampton.

Mr Smith’s personal transport, meanwhile, is a Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport 115CDI which, as a Dualiner model, also came with a second row of seats. It boasts a powerful 150bhp engine and a specification that includes luxury touches such as cruise control, air-conditioning, a leather steering wheel and electric windows, as well as 17-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tyres, fog lights, metallic paint and extensive chrome trim.

Added Mr Smith: “The Sprinters are well liked by our drivers and when they need servicing the guys just wait at the dealership while Intercounty’s technicians do the work – it’s a very quick and efficient process.”