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OPERATIONS
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Ready-to-drive trucks streamlined offering in the interests of increased efficiency, lower costs and improved consistency and conformity. With whole vehicle type approval just over a year away, we believe now is the time for a step change in how vehicles can be ordered."
Moon likens the concept to the situation a few years ago when truck manufacturers started fitting equipment such as fifth wheels and rear wings to tractor units:a service that had previously been provided by dealers and fifth-wheel manufacturers:"Moving to on-line fitment of ancillary equipment on tractor units has taken days out of the supply chain and ensures the customers have a single point of contact for any issues relating to the vehicle.
One-stop shopping The imminent arrival of whole vehicle type approval may have been the trigger for focusing chassis manufacturers' minds on the load-carrying part of heavier trucks, but a range of ready-bodied trucks also slots neatly into truck makers' desire to offer one-stop shopping fora variety of support services.
Scania and Volvo, for example, both see inclusive bodywork as part of one-stop approach to in-service support that includes servicing, rental and driver training. Hampus Hansson, business area manager for Volvo FL and FE trucks, says: "Many of the companies that work with local or regional transport want a holistic solution that helps them deal with their transport requirements simply."
Volvo points out that while the European market for trucks in the 12-26-tonne class is relatively constant.competition for sales is fierce. It believes additional services that make life easier for the operator can make the difference between making a sale or not. The company says its research has shown that for many companies in urban areas haulage is not their core business, so they are not particularly interested in maintaining a vehicle fleet. In response to this Volvo is reviewing its six-year-old ready-to-go programme that began with the introduction of the FM. It plans to offer a range of complete bodywork based on FL chassis at 12-18 tonnes and on FE chassis at 18 and 26 tonnes.
The first vehicle to emerge from the new programme is the Volvo FL CitiPro, a factory built,12-tonne Volvo FL distribution truck with box body and tail-lift. It can carry 16 euro pallets and has a five-tonne payload.
"With the Citi Pro we can offer a simple, trouble-free and value-for-money transport solution," says Hansson."A standard-equipped Volvo FL with a van body and tail-lift meets the needs of many customers working with local distribution. And since we make use of a standardised specification we can offer the truck at an attractive price."
Scania is new to the one-stop shop concept, but early this year it launched the Scania Complete range for 8-tonne chassis.
Operators can already buy complete boxvan and curtainsider vehicles with optional tail-lifts. and soon a Multi lift hook-loader will join the line-up. It's all about offering peace of mind." says business development director Tim Pugh. "The bodies will have the same two-year warranty as the chassis."
Oaf has been building boxvans and curtainsiders on the LF45 7.5-tonne chassis at its Leyland plant since earlier this year; it plans to extend this programme next year to include 18-tonne LF55 and CF65 chassis with a range of body lengths to match their wheelbases.
Iveco's Cargoliner range of ready-to-go boxvans and curtainsiders for EuroCargo 7,500kg and 18,000kg chassis will soon be in short supply following the demise of Boalloy, its partner for this range.
However, spokesman Nigel Emms reports: "There are enough pre-built EuroCargos in the pipeline to supply needs for the immediate future. We will not be rushed into appointing a new partner until we are satisfied it can meet our quality standards and our objectives on availability and pricing."
On a more positive note, the company has expanded the Cargoliner tipper range with the addition of a Brit-Tipp Deluxe tipper body. The new body is based on the CargoLiner tipper —since the start of the year this body has accounted for nearly 25% of sales of 7,500kg 76E1 6K Eurocargo chassis destined for tipper operations Changes introduced on the Deluxe model include dropsides and tailgate made of aluminium rather than steel boosting the payload by 80kg and more galvanised components to improve durability Tailgate fixings, lugs and towbar assemblies are bolted on to speed up repair times;the mesh headboard has been replaced with a bolted single aluminium sheet for extra strength.
Geared up for speed
Neither Isuzu,Miisubishi Fuso nor MercedesBenz have formal ready-bodied programmes. However, most of the bodybuilders that partner the ready-to-roll programmes offer standard bodies for these chassis and are geared up for fast turnaround times. So if you want one of those chassis, getting it bodied might not add much to the lead time.
Tipmaster, for example, builds stock tipper Sania has launched bodies for Iveco, Isuzu and Mitsubishi Canter the Complete range for its 7,500kg chassis. "The bodies are standard so 18-tonne chassis we build them for stock,which minimises fitting time," says sales director Matthew Terry.
However, he warns that operators buying ready-to-go vehicles should check the specification carefully: "Off-the-shelf bodies are built to a price and that can affect the durability of components and in-service performance. Check the payload is sufficient for your needs."
If you cannot find a ready-bodied truck at MAN's Badyline range 7,500kg, it's worth considering 6,000kg-plus is well established models, such as the Isuzu NPR, Mitsubishi Canter 65 and Renault Maxity. •