'Mailing two Wino 8x4 tippers for six months gave NWH
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an opportunity to add a franchise to the business. Craig Williams, operations director, explains: The workshop was always in-house. We used to run Leyland Clydesdales and Beavers and then progressed to the Swedish stuff. We were split evenly between Volvo and Scania, with a few DAFs to mix it up."
The management buyout in 2005, says Mark Williams, managing director, meant fresh faces were needed in the workshop. 'When they came on board we had to provide a new workshop and facility, and get in external work," he says.
The current site, next to the original site, then became available. At the CV Show in 2007 they spoke with Hino and representatives came over from Ireland. "They had a look around our old premises and politely said no," Mark says. "Then we took them down here to the site, which was three-quarters built, and after about 10 minutes they said we could have a dealership."
Unlike many recently-appointed Hino dealers who had been with Foden, NWH had no experience in retailing trucks. "Now they see us as a flagship dealership from a look-in point of view," he says, "because we are exclusively Nino."
Unveiled in August 2007, they have sold 22 into their own fleet and 30 vehicles externally. 'With the [previ ously] long lead times, up to 18 months, Hino could provide six vehicles for a contract starting in a month's time. They [customers] were coming to you, finding it cheaper, and when they get the vehicle realising it's a good product.
"Now we are in a situation where every manufacturer can supply in two weeks and Hino isn't cheaper any more because manufacturers have dropped their prices. So you are looking for repeat business rater than seeking fresh business," he says.
NWH doesn't intend to boost sales by bringing forward its own replacement cycle. 'We are going to sit tight with what we have got on the fleet and then we'll look. The residuals have dropped and we don't want to be moving vehicles just now," Mark says. "The new price has dropped, but so has the used price."