Spectrum set to take on commercial vehicle repair management11 October 2010

Commercial vehicle accident repair specialist Spectrum Vehicle Repairers LLP says it is reacting to the current trend of repair bodyshops managing fleet repairs, in a bid to reduce 'return to road' time and cost.

As well as working with accident management companies (AMCs), the firm is also now working directly with fleet operators to carry out accident damage repairs to all types of vehicles.

Managing director Marc Watts says he is receiving increasing numbers of calls from fleet engineers who feel that they are not getting the service they paid for from the AMCs, and want body repair shops to handle damage repairs directly.

Watts suggests that many AMCs simply allocate accident repair work "and then charge companies like ours and the customer for the privilege" – taking a referral fee from an already squeezed margin in the process.

He also makes the point that bodywork on tractor units, trailers, rigids, RCVs (refuse collection vehicles), cement mixers, fire trucks and even some of the larger vans, is specialist work, requiring multi-skilled technicians and a significant investment in serious bodyshop equipment.

"We have already invested heavily in our workshops in Thurrock [Essex] and Sidcup [Kent], and we're looking for similar premises in West London, to complete our presence around the M25. As soon as we have finished setting up other bodyshops, based on our already proven business model, we'll be letting fleet engineers know the number to ring," says Watts.

And with 25 years in the commercial vehicle repair industry, and a successful business currently also growing into the bus and coach sector, fleet engineers might want to take him seriously.

Certainly, Spectrum's site at Sidcup is impressive and shows how commercial vehicle bodywork should be done. It's also an eye opener for transport managers wanting refurb work – whether for second hand vans needing new livery or for lease trucks and trailers before they're returned to the finance company.

And it's worth knowing that his drivers will collect and deliver any vehicle, and that Spectrum offers a fleet of 35 courtesy vans – a mix of Sprinters, Transits and Berlingos – to keep owner drivers and small businesses on the road.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Spectrum Vehicle Repairers LLP

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