Engineering News
Page 22
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Long life planned
The company's annual vehicle replacement budget is £3m but that jumps to £4m in every seventh year. This results from a switch to the use of wide pallets and larger bodies in 1974. Whitbread plans to extend by three years the normal seven year life of 70 vehicles from all over the country by refurbishing them at Sheffield over the next 18 months.
The first five vehicles, from Romsey, were delivered there last autumn and work on them was completed by Christmas.
The average cost of refurbishment for each vehicle is reckoned to be about £7,000.
Charlie Seeker, Whitbread's transport engineering manager in the north, says that particular attention is being paid to cabs "because driver acceptance will be very important," but any parts which are showing signs of wear will be replaced.
Most of the vehicles scheduled to be put through the new workshop are Ford D1411s. The manufacturers' standard job times have been used by Whitbread in planning the workshop's throughout.
It is staffed by a manager and two fitters — all of whom are being employed on contract for 18 months, though Whitbread says its scheme may be extended if it proves successful.
The workshop will be used exclusively for refurbishment, and its equipment and work stations have been arranged on a production line basis.
Painting and bodybuilding repair work on the renovated vehicles is being contracted out to firms in the Sheffield area and the total cost of this work on the 70 vehicles is estimated at £250,000.