Supplied by dealer S&B Commercials, the Stevenage-based operator’s new additions have 161bhp engines and Eco Box Luton bodies, by Alloy Bodies of Manchester, and are transporting high-value medical equipment such as ultrasound systems, ventilators and incubators.
They join 12 other Sprinters in an 18-vehicle fleet. The operator’s first Mercedes-Benz van was acquired in 2006 but, as managing director Richard Hindle (pictured) explains, he then decided to try other marques – a decision he came to regret as the vehicles did not run reliably for more than three years at best.
“Because I was looking solely at up-front cost rather than also factoring in the projected longevity of the vehicle, we then moved to another manufacturer... We learned that where vans are concerned, ‘you buy cheap, you buy twice’.”
He returned to Mercedes-Benz in 2013, first purchasing Sprinter panel vans from S&B Commercials, then commissioned its first Lutons a couple of years later. “We’ll definitely be sticking to Mercedes-Benz now, and that’s down to the service as well as the quality of the product,” Hindle says.
Fuel efficiency, too, is a bonus: “The latest Eco Box vehicles are returning 32mpg, which is an excellent figure,” he adds.
The vehicles typically cover 150,000 miles each year and are maintained in house.