1ROOKSIDE RE-RUNS YIN TOP RATINGS
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\..t its plant in the Midlands, Brookside Engineering is applying the principals of recycling to the conversion, repair and rbishment of commercial vehicles.
There is a tremendous growth in the demand Tailer refurbishment" says Brookside managdirector Roger Harris. "l"aced with a choice of ling out for brand new trailers or renovating r existing fleet, operators will choose refurbishit every time".
There is a growing tendency to spread the ry capital cost of a commercial vehicle across a er Iifespan. This desire, together with changes he prescribed length and weight limits lie .nd the decision of many companies to choose ivation as the optimum means of achieving a specification vehicle in the '90's.
kt present the biggest demand in our work )s comes from operators who want to stretch r existing 12.2 and 12.6 metre trailers to 13.6 res. We are also carrying out a lot of roof lifts as as tag axle conversions on tractor units.
raditionally Brookside undertook a limited iber of such refurbishments for favoured cusers at its head office in Stone. Very soon larger rises were needed. "We had to find a way to increase the capacity of the workshops without damaging the trailer chassis and light commercial body manufacturing which is the core part of our business".
The company did this by forging a new trading relationship with a stalwart of the commercial vehicle industry.
Malcolm Harrison is a name which will be familiar to many of our readers. The dealer was familiar too, to the management of nearby Brookside who provided much of his a ftersales support facilities.
"We leased surplus workshops off Malcolm and created dedicated units for refurbishment, repair and conversion work. The location is perfect for us because it has such a prominent position on the main A34 with easy access to the Potteries towns and the Midlands motorway network" explains Harris.
The Brookside team were therefore able to equip workshops 'tailor made' for renovation work. They were also able to take advantage of an injection of work from Malcolm Harrison's customer base.
"It can often be very difficult to locate a used trailer which exactly meets your requirements" said Harrison. "We can now arrange to 'customise' a chosen vehicle — stretching, lifting, adapting the trailer for tilting or fitting curtain sides for example.
"And when we sell a used commercial vehicle, we can offer customers the convenience of expert aftersales care on the premises, with a nationwide collection and delivery service also available".
It is an alliance which is reaping dividends for both Midlands companies With the wisdom of refurbishment now obvious to every sector of the market, body builders Boalloy of Congleton recently selected Brookside Engineering to carry out refurbishment work for supermarket giant Tesco.
"We took a number of their old tandem axle box vans and stripped the running gear, braking systems and landing legs for a complete overhaul. We fabricated new platforms and the frames were constructed as curtain-siders by Boalloy".
When potential customers vim the new plant the strength of Brookside's confidence in the future of refurbishment and conversion is obvious. Harris confirms that a lsigni fittatif amount of money has been ploughed into a professional paint shop, curtain repair facilities, vehicle straightening and alignment equipment and other tools of the trade.
"Modern technology and equipment are vital of course but the most important component is skill' he stresses.
Long respected as the 'back room boys' of the commercial vehicle world, Brookside is active in a broad-based portfolio of activities including the design and manufacture of trailer chassis and light commercial bodies as well as the construction of components used in the truck-building industry. It also holds sole UK distribution rights for Dhollandia tail lifts.
As the commercial vehicle industry revs Out of the recession, many expect the swing towards re it] rhishinent to become even more apparent. And for the skilled workforce at Brookside Engineering, the future looks decidedly rosy.