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Stone Hardy, a market-leader in the service and repair of tail-lifts and shutters for commercial and passenger vehicles, is switching to a new fleet of 23 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter service vans.
The company’s head office is based in Northampton but with seven regional sales and service centres and a further 65 mobile engineers, it provides a nationwide service.
Stone Hardy’s new vans are all high-roofed Sprinter 311CDI models, and are being supplied by dealer Hughes of Aylesbury.
They are the subject of a five-year contract hire deal with Lex Vehicle Leasing and fitted with bespoke racking systems by specialist firm Bott, of Ashby-de-la-Zouch – in some cases, installations are being removed from previous vans, refurbished and refitted in the new Mercedes.
The new Sprinters are also equipped with hydraulically-operated, innovative Gentili 2000 ladder systems, which allow Stone Hardy’s engineers to work safely at heights of up to 4.13 metres.
Stone Hardy Managing Director Paul Clark says: “We chose the Sprinter because of the premium brand values associated with the three-pointed star, and because of the availability of the Mercedes-Benz product – rival manufacturers were quoting much longer lead times.
“The fact that the Sprinter is also reported to be the safest van on the market was another key attraction. Stone Hardy is always conscious of its Duty of Care obligations to employees, which explains why we have invested in the new Gentili, assisted ladder systems.”
Stone Hardy’s new Mercedes vans will cover an average of 32,500 miles per year and carry a full complement of tools and spares, as well as towing 1.5-tonne weight test trailers.
In addition to tail-lifts and shutter doors, the company maintains moving floors, swing lifts and, occasionally, access lifts, and acts as an agent to several leading manufacturers of these products.
Stone Hardy supports ‘pay-as-you-go’ customers but also looks after some 8,500 vehicles and trailers under fixed maintenance contracts. These include 800 units which are on contract to Mercedes-Benz and operated by major names such as Brakes and Sunlight.
Established in 1976, Stone Hardy was initially based in Enfield, Middlesex, and concentrated on repairing tail-lifts. The company then grew steadily, taking on roller shutter door work, until it was sold to a management buyout in 1997. A year later it was acquired by the Ratcliff Group. |
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