West London skip hire and waste management specialist Gowing & Pursey has begun a new partnership with Mercedes-Benz Dealer Group Rygor Commercials by commissioning an eye-catching fleet of 18-tonne Arocs skip-loaders.
Brothers Charlie and Noel Ward have taken full control of the business which was acquired in 1989, shortly after their father sold F. Ward Haulage, the company he founded in the 1960s.
Gowing & Pursey operates from a three-acre site in Park Royal, and has ambitious plans for growth. However, reliability issues led to a breakdown last year in its relationship with the manufacturer whose vehicles it had relied upon for many years.
“We approached other suppliers and trialled a number of demonstrators,” Charlie Ward recalled: “It was the Mercedes-Benz product, coupled with the attentive, professional approach of Rygor’s truck sales executive Rish Channa, that really shone out.”
Gowing & Pursey’s first order was for 20 skip-loaders, all 18-tonne Arocs 1824Ks with day ClassicSpace S-Cabs, 175 kW (238 hp) engines andbodywork by Boughton Engineering, of Wolverhampton, which includes electric sheeting systems. Rygor Commercials delivered an initial 15 vehicles late last year, with the remaining five entering service this spring.
“The Arocs are flying,” confirmed Noel Ward. “The drivers love them and not one of the trucks has missed a beat. Mercedes-Benz is in a different league when it comes to the all-round quality of its products, and their suitability for the job.”
The Mercedes-Benz Dealer Network in Britain is also responsible for sales and support of the popular FUSO Canter light truck range, and Rygor Commercials has additionally supplied Gowing & Pursey with a couple of 7.5-tonne 7C15 models.
Acquired with competitive funding support from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, its Arocs and Canter trucks are fitted with a full complement ofSmartWitness safety cameras and wear the operator’s smart new livery. They are being inspected and serviced under Mercedes-Benz Repair and Maintenance Contracts at the Dealer’s Heathrow workshop.
“We’ve had every confidence from the outset that Rygor will live up to its promises when it comes to after sales support,” said Mr Ward. “From all that we’ve seen so far, this confidence was well-founded – its customer care is second-to-none, and the relationship is developing very nicely.”
He continued: “With our revised management structure and new Mercedes-Benz and FUSO vehicles supplied by Rygor, 2017 marks a fresh start for Gowing & Pursey. The trucks look fantastic and are certainly helping to raise our profile and enhance our image.
“Given that we work in such a congested area, we’ve specified the skip-loaders with the shortest, 3.6-metre wheelbase, so they’re highly manoeuvrable. The automated Mercedes PowerShift transmission wins top marks too – not only is it very smooth but it’s also safer than the manual ’boxes the lads were using previously, because it leaves them free to concentrate fully on the road rather than worrying about which gear they’re in.”
Rygor’s Rish Channa added: “We are not interested in the ‘quick deal’ at Rygor. Rather, we seek to develop long-term partnerships with our customers and to add value to their businesses through our commitment to Setting Standards. Charlie and Noel have big plans, and we look forward to supporting Gowing & Pursey as it embarks on this exciting new phase in its development.”
Gowing & Pursey provides a 24 hours a day, seven days a week service. It has long experience of helping construction industry customers to meet their legislative and environmental targets, and achieves impressively high recovery rates at its materials recycling facility in Park Royal.
