Cleaning cuts budgets
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• Operatoi need to improve their awareness of the importance of correct cleaning products and dilutions, Croda Paints general sales manager Barry Butler told a seminar on "The Fleet Image Factor", at Solihull.
"I am sorry to say that I do not believe that transport operators in general give sufficient priority to the cleaning function and that is to the detriment of their vehicles and of course the maintenance budget," he said.
"If a painted vehicle is left unattended for long periods, it will ultimately deteriorate and collapse. Regular maintenance through effective cleaning is the answer. Vehicles must be washed to remove harmful deposits.
"Detergents must also be correctly used. Incorrect dilution will have a serious effect on a paint finish. Cleaning products must be tried and tested from established companies in the cleaning field."
The seminar, claimed to be the first in Britain on the subject of correct cleaning, was sponsored by Croda, Mayvil and Boalloy, held at St John's Swallow Hotel, Solihull, and attended by transport fleet engineers or transport managers from large firms including Cadbury Schweppes, Dunlop, British Gas, Lanes Transport of Bristol, Associated Dairies, Ross Foods, Unigate and many more. John Rowsell, joint managing director of Mayvil Chemicals, warned that the cheapest chemicals are not always the most cost effective in the long term, and said advertising, the livery of vehicles, is today vital to the marketing effort. "We all package products to see sell them more effectively, and the outer appearance of the vehicle is the ultimate wrapping of the product."
Gerald Broadbent, joint managing director of Boalloy, said that the growth of sales and curtainsiders in recent years to more than 30% of the British market has led to a require ment for specialised curtainsider cleaning products.
Broadbent called for more thought to be put into the signwriting by operators. "We seem to have a running battle with the artist, but he has to appreciate the difficulty of getting complex designs printed on curtainsiders. It is difficult to print and can be difficult to The growth of the curtainsider has led to a great opportunity for companies to use the curtain to advertise their products. But they need to keep it simple in design terms," he said.