DIPT’s latest truck wears a striking livery promoting Sumogrip, its best-selling brand of adhesive and sealant. That’s appropriate, because in choosing its new Mercedes-Benz
7.5-tonner the Derby-based company has stuck with a well-proven performer.
The Atego 816 arrived via the city branch of East Midlands Dealer Mertrux Truck & Van, which took back DIPT’s previous 7.5-tonne Atego in part-exchange. A 2009 model, it had clocked-up 250,000 trouble-free miles.
Operations Director Neil Dawson explained: “The last vehicle did everything we asked of it and more, so it really was a ‘no-brainer’ when we came to replace it.”
DIPT provides central services functions, including warehousing, logistics and distribution, to group companies Protrade – a supplier of products to the joinery, drylining, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and construction-related industries – Joinery Fit-Out Supplies and Metal Fabrication Supplies.
The Atego typically makes 10 palletised deliveries each day to customers throughout the East Midlands, as well as undertaking inter-depot duties to ensure stock levels are maintained and special orders fulfilled on time.
Purpose-designed for light- and medium-duty distribution work, as well as construction applications, the Mercedes-Benz Atego offers an impressive combination of driving dynamics, comfort and manoeuvrability.
DIPT’s new truck has a ClassicSpace S-Cab and is powered by an advanced 115 kW (156 hp) 5.1-litre engine. The company stocks a range of its own products, which it develops and markets under the Maxitek brand – Sumogrip, its number one selling line, is the subject of an eye-catching promotion on the vehicle’s curtainside body, which was built by Transport Enterprises, of Leicester,
“Our vehicle travels around the region all day, every day, and thousands upon thousands of people see it over the course of a working week,” said Neil Dawson. “The side of a truck is valuable real estate which can be leveraged as a moving billboard. The Atego goes into trading and industrial estates which are exactly where our established and potential customers are based, which means it’s getting our products in front of the right people at the right time.
“Brand association is a very powerful tool, so the fact that it’s a Mercedes-Benz also complements the reputation for quality of DIPT, Maxitek and Sumogrip.”
The Atego is the subject of a contract hire agreement with Pentagon Vehicle Rentals, a sister company to Mertrux, under which it will cover 35,000 miles per year. The same was true of its predecessor – such was that vehicle’s reliability that DIPT repeatedly extended the contract.
DIPT’s only truck works alongside a small fleet of vans, all but two of which are Mercedes-Benz Citan models acquired from Mertrux in 2015. The vans are used by colleagues in local depots for deliveries and to make customer visits.
Mr Dawson continued: “Our new truck looks great, while going on past evidence we also expect it to be supremely reliable. It did not take us long to establish that we wanted more of the same, but with newer technology to ensure that we were still at the forefront of energy efficiency and driver comfort. Initial feedback certainly indicates that the vehicle drives well, and is also returning a useful improvement in fuel economy.”
As before, Mertrux Truck & Van’s workshop team are inspecting and servicing the vehicle under a Mercedes-Benz Repair and Maintenance Contract. “Our company strapline is #BestValueNoMessin,” added Mr Dawson. “This encompasses everything we try to achieve for our customers, but also applies to the support we demand from our suppliers.
“Mertrux have given us exceptional service over the years. We have been consistently impressed with every member of the team we have come into contact with. From initially specifying our vehicles, through to handover of the keys, and then maintenance thereafter, they are always very customer-focused.”
He concluded: “We had certain requirements which needed to be met when selecting our new vehicle. They were dealer service, value for money, driver comfort, fuel efficiency, and load carrying capability. With Mertrux and the Mercedes-Benz Atego, we’ve not had to compromise on any of these fronts.”
