GETTING IT TOGETH
Page 46
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Harper Trucks could be described as the epitome of Iveco Ford Truck dealers, with roots in both camps. Founded just five years ago, it enjoys an annual turnover of El 1 million ...
• The merging of the Iveco and Ford Trucks sales operations in Britain earlier this year led to a certain amount of turmoil among the two dealer networks. In the months that followed a rationalised network was established, carrying both ranges of heavy trucks. The majority of those dealers are ex-Ford with a minority from the numerically-smaller Iveco network — but dealerships which themselves involved combinations of Ford and Iveco outlets are rare indeed.
The exception is centred around Harper Trucks, one of the most aggressive — and certainly the most successful — of the old Iveco dealers. Harper has just acquired a controlling interest in the trucks division of longestablished Ford dealer Gordons of Bolton. Since the beginning of last week the Gordons truck sales outlet has been trading as Harper Gordon, a sister company to the existing Harper Trucks operation which is some 12kin away.
Access
This move elevates Harper from a company which did not even exist five years ago to a group with a turnover of some £11 million employing more than 70 people.
It also means that Harper has access to the entire Ford commercial vehicles range as well as the Iveco line-up: through its continuing links with the Gordons car franchise, Harper Gordon will be able to sell Fiestas, Escorts, P100s and shortwheelbase Transits.
The changes at Harper do not stop there, however. With
the withdrawal of Skippers of Burnley from its trucks franchise, Harper has hired its four-strong sales team and installed them at Harper Gordon. This obviously enhances Harper's influence in the northern part of its IvecoFord territory, which covers the northern half of Greater Manchester. At the same time it has closed its service point, set up a couple of years ago at Stockport.
Ability
Although Harper Trucks has a predominantly Iveco background and Harper Gordon a Ford one, Kevin Harper is keen to emphasise the ability of both outlets to deal with either range. Indeed, the parts operation under its general manager John Patterson is actually operating under the name Harper Gordon from both sites, and Patterson says that in the near future they will run off a common telephone number.
Between the two sites there are some £700,000 worth of parts in 17,000 stocklines, split roughly equally between Ford and Iveco items.
Both sites carry service parts for the whole Iveco-Ford range and Patterson claims a 93% first-pick rate for parts at the two sites. Although the parts counter at Montan is open daily until 9pm, there is 24-hour cover and eight parts vans on the road.
The service departments are given high priority by Kevin Harper and his brother Peter, including schemes such as cost-per-kilometre and fixed-price maintenance — a fixed price for every job on any make of vehicle. Service problems are dealt with solely by service personnel; sales people do not get involved with problems even on almostnew vehicles. "The priority," says Kevin Harper, "is to solve the problem, no matter at what cost to whom."
Some 15% of all vehicles sold by Harper are now sold with cost/kilometre maintenance contracts, the longest-operating of which has been going for nearly three years.
Even though the move into Bolton represents a step into much larger premises for Harper, there are no plans to consolidate on the new twohectare Bolton site.
"We have a responsibility to keep Monton going," says Kevin Harper, mindful of the trade which has built up around that site — and no doubt also remembering the importance in publicity terms of having a bright blue building visible from the M602 which runs alongside.
E by Allan Winn