HRVS is to build a new twin-lane ATF at its Ripley site in Derbyshire – with 16m pits and all the equipment – providing what the company believes will be a template for other MAN dealerships.
Keith Sims, HRVS group service director, admits that the investment in VOSA-compliant facilities and equipment is "very large" and says that payback from pit fees will be slow.
However, he says the new test station will use its new bays for additional PM (private maintenance) inspections and pre-MOT inspections. "We're expecting to make this viable by picking up additional business," he says.
As for the new ATF operation, Sims says it will open in December, starting with eight hours of testing per day (8.00am to 4.00pm), under VOSA direction, but with facilities to double-shift, as demand rises.
For the future, Sims says: "With government cutbacks, VOSA test station closures are bound to increase. And if there are more, we'll be ready."
