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On the home run
Page 62
Page 63
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Known for its export business, Britcom International is now looking to win over the domestic market with "one-stop-shop" engineering and refurbishment.
Kevin Swallow reports.
When CM last spoke to Britcom International sales director Paul Mercer (CM 7 December 2006), he said export was where the company got started. But Britcom has also built a strong engineering and refurbishment reputation adapting trucks to meet legislation and robust foreign working environments.
"We're looking to promote the engineering services, for new and used markets, because there isn't much competition in that area,'" says Mercer.This has meant building additional work bays to meet potential growth in the domestic business.
Britcom International has already spent £12m on a new 12acre site on York Road in Market Weighton,EYorks, but for its planned campaign to be a success it will have to provide a service that can match or surpass that of the manufacturers. The company, says Mercer, has been ISOregistered since 1999 — showing its commitment to deliver highquality products and services.
Operations manager Brent Carmichael, who has been with the company for 25 years, says the UK isn't an area the company has had a chance to really focus on. "We're a well kept secret," he says. "We've never advertised domestically and the refurbishment work we have done has been in-house to meet orders for overseas. We've always done bespoke engineering for UK markets, but we're looking to push refurbishment and conversions. Britcom is a true one-stop shop."
Meeting all needs
An often-touted service in the industry ,"one-stop shop" can frequently be "one-stop-beforeanother-stop shop" as companies sub work via the back door to smaller set-ups in order to meet increasing work schedules as capacity, or investment,is reached and exceeded.
As customers cite build-quality issues and providers struggle to make "one-stop shops" viable, the concept hasn't always worked or been well received. But Carmichael and Mercer believe proper facilities and high-quality training will make it work.
Carmichael lists what the company can offer: type approval, chassis modifications, drawbar conversions, wheelbase and axle alterations, body and trailer design and build, hydraulics, blasting, and paint jobs.
Four extra lanes for prep work should be completed by the summer. "The paint shop is only working to 30% capacity at the moment as we can't prepare vehicles quick enough," says Carmichael. "The plan is to get the oven working from 7am to 9pm, on two shifts. The only time people won't be painting is when it's baking."
The oven is designed to take a 13.6m trailer and can be separated to house two vehicle paint jobs. Mounted on the wail are two cherry pickers that give the twoman team access to the entire vehicle without using ladders or scaffold.
Trained professionals -We have the facilities, not to mention a fully trained, professional workforce, to expand in the domestic market," says Carmichael.
The key, says Mercer, is training. "We foot the bill, whether it's here or at the manufacturer, but it gives us an edge." Of the 45-strong workforce, seven are on apprenticeships which is impressive considering engineers, mechanics and fitters are on the government's endangered list of occupations.
Engineering at Britcom has long been involved in the domestic market with bespoke orders, building plant trailers, drawbars, doing conversions and working on plant equipment.
The move to open up new markets for refurbishment will enable Britcom to cater for more mainstream companies such as vehicle manufacturers, massvolume fleets, franchised dealers and finance companies.
Potential customers visiting the York Road site have been impressed, says Carmichael, and there has already been work for Mercedes-Benz at Wentworth Park refurbishing and converting Axors to left-hand drive.
"Mercedes-Benz can't cope with the amount of work it has, so it has subbed some of it out to us. We can refurbish anything.The finish on the Axor is as good as the manufacturer's." says Mercer, adding that the conversion costs
just £600.
• For more information contact: www.britcornservices.co.uk