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A fleet of new Mercedes-Benz vans is smoothing the way to success for an expanding firm of dryliners and plasterers.
The seven Mercedes Vito 109CDI Compacts and a Sprinter 311CDI Long chassis cab were supplied to Tyneside-based Abel Plastering, Drylining & Suspended Ceiling Ltd by Newcastle dealer Bell Truck & Van.
“I’ve been running Mercedes vehicles since setting up the company five years ago,” says Head of Plastering Wayne Lascelles. “I started with a second-hand Vito and traded it a year later for a Sprinter panel van with 123,000 miles on the clock; it’s now done about 200,000 and is still going strong.”
Abel Plastering Drylining and Suspended Ceilings specialises in work for housing and commercial builders, including Bowmer & Kirkland and Mansell Construction. The rapidly growing company employs 60 people and recently moved from Jarrow to larger premises on the Barrington Business Park in Killingworth.
Its new Mercedes vans replace similarly specified models. They were acquired on a three-year lease package, including full repair and maintenance cover, through Bells’ contract hire arm North Star.
The award-winning Vito and Sprinter vans come with smooth, clean common-rail diesel engines and bristle with class-leading safety features, including an advanced new version of the remarkable ESP® anti-skid system called Adaptive ESP®.
Abel Plastering Drylining and Suspended Ceilings is using the new Vitos to ferry its skilled craftsmen between building sites, while the Sprinter, which has a dropside body by Aire Truck Bodies, Leeds, carries tools and materials. The company’s original Sprinter panel van transports a rendering machine.
“The Vito and the Sprinter are as tough as they come,” explains Mr Lascelles. “They may not be the cheapest vans on the market ‘up front’ but they make up for that by their unbeatable reliability and the fantastic back-up you get from Mercedes-Benz dealers, which means they are very cost-effective in the long run.
“I’m planning to expand my van fleet as the company continues to grow and I’ll definitely be sticking with Mercedes.”
Mr Lascelles is equally pleased with the service from Bell Truck & Van. “They’re a proper commercial vehicle operation and amazingly helpful,” he adds. “Bells’ 24-hour service operation is particularly invaluable – it means we can get our vans serviced overnight and back on the road again next morning, so they’re always available when we need them.” |
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