B EST. . . AND B RITISH TOO MI I
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refer to your editorial comments (CM, April 19). I would like to take you up on your reference as to the criteria in buying a commercial vehicle.
I accept that the real criteria should be based on commercial grounds and not chauvinistic ones, but I feel that the buying emphasis in recent years has been on price regardless of many other factors. But price, as opposed to long-term costs, is quite different. Down-time, parts, prices, fuel costs, are just a few of the factors in determining transport costs and a saving of lp per mile can be worth £5,000 over the life of a vehicle.
As my company is basically a design and assembly operation, its major components are bought in. Most of our suppliers are themselves fairly large companies with plants around the world and customers in every continent. The collapse of the UK component industry is, therefore, not dependent purely upon the survival of the UK-based vehicle manufacturers, as the industry is now becoming more international.
The case for buying ERF, therefore, should be the quality and competitiveness of our product. The new E Series is, we believe, the best vehicle we have ever produced and our slogan perhaps should be "Buy ERF, it is the best and it happens to be British as well". E P Foden ERF Ltd Sandbach Cheshire