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Uphill for bodywork in Benelux
Page 115
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THE Benelux countries are not a very profitable market for British bodybuilders. This is the conclusion reached after an approach to leading passenger and goods bodywork manufacturers in this country.
General reaction is that it is simply uneconomical to ship complete vehicles to these countries and even the exercise of supplying bodies CKD for assembly in, say, Holland or Belgium is claimed to be unprofitable. The combination of the tariff barrier, shipping costs and competition from established Continental bodybuilders, some of them already tied to British chassis manufacturers, are all given as reasons for lack of success in this field.
However, some bodybuilders are getting poised ready for action should Britain enter the Common Market. Smith's Delivery Vehicles Ltd., Telehoist, Gloster-Saro and Duramin all claim to be interested in getting into the EEC countries, and Smith's, in fact, will soon be selling electric delivery vehicles to Holland. Gloster-Saro are already selling road tankers through the major oil companies.
One company which has had success with a specialized body is Oswald Tillotson, working in conjunction with the Rootes group, whose Highlift van for loading aircraft has sold to many airlines, including Sabena in Belgium. This body, incidentally, was formerly produced by Palmer Coachbuilder Ltd. The Murfitt group of companies has also established itself on the Continent with a 30,000 sq. ft. factory in Belgium. Manufacture of the moving-bulkhead body is expected to start there shortly.
In the passenger field competition from Continental builders is particularly heavy, and the ties of several bodybuilders with the Leyland Motor Corporation have already been described. Even Guy buses, which sell in Holland and Belgium, are fitted with Continental bodywork as well. However, one British coachbuilder who is to have a crack at this market is Duple Motor Bodies Ltd., who have appointed Mr. Richard Church, formerly with Vauxhall Motors Ltd., to carry Out a survey of the prospects of selling to EEC countries.
Overall, however, it is a rather depressing picture with British bodybuilders way out on price compared with their Continental rivals; and the majority seem content to steer clear of what they describe as a "notoriously bad market". F.K.M.