Trucksmith has been shortlisted for the coveted What Van? Converter of the Year 2018 award, as part of the leading industry magazine’s annual reader awards.

The What Van? Converter of the Year award is in its fourth year, and recognises the very best converters in the industry. Trucksmith, which has pioneered the low-loading Luton van, won the award last year.

Simon Partridge, Executive Brand and Sales Manager at Trucksmith, said: “This is a high-profile award that is voted for by the public, and having won it last year we’re incredibly keen to repeat the feat. I hope the Devon public will support our efforts and vote for us this year.

“We have continued to focus on innovation and quality, investing in equipment and a quality local workforce to ensure that we provide our customers with the highest standard of van conversions. We know the competition will be tough to beat in this highly competitive sector of the transport industry.”

The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in December.

Trucksmith pioneered the low-loading Luton van model and is an approved body builder for leading van marques including Renault, Vauxhall and Fiat. It currently has a 64,000sq ft production facility in Uffculme, and is celebrating over 30 years of van conversions.

To vote in the awards visit: http://whatvan.co.uk/readeraward

Trucksmith has announced the sale of eight Renault Master LoLoader® vehicles to Paul Rhodes Bakery in London.

The Devon-based manufacturer was approached to create a bespoke version of its leading low-loading Luton that would increase the bakery’s delivery capacity and be nimble in the city.

Former Michelin-starred chef Paul Rhodes established the growing bakery business in 2003 and it is now one of London’s leading independent bakeries, supplying major hotels, restaurants, bars and delis throughout the capital, along with key events such as Wimbledon.

Paul Rhodes said: “We have a number of crucial requirements from our vans. We wanted a box van the width of a Mercedes Sprinter for ease of driving and to minimise potential damage from London’s narrow and busy roads.

“We also wanted a vehicle that would take the strain away from our drivers, and the low loading height is perfect for what we’re doing. We have also designed shelving and boxes that run on the floor to maximise load yet carefully handle the delicate products we produce.

“The result is that we can get an extra 90 boxes in the LoLoader® through its design, making deliveries more efficient – and the vans look great too.”

Trucksmith, which recently won the 2017 What Van? Converter of the Year award, customer built the vans with a reduced width compared to the normal LoLoader® specification. The design overcomes the historic issues of poor aerodynamics and handling associated with Luton vans, using innovative manufacturing methods to achieve an outstanding payload that has become the hallmark of all Trucksmith vehicles.

Simon Partridge, Executive Sales and Brand Manager at Trucksmith, said: “We have been converting vehicles for over 30 years, and while every custom build has its challenges, we’re delighted that the finished result offers such advantages for the Paul Rhodes Bakery fleet.”

Trucksmith builds the LoLoader® body on the Renault Master platform cab, and is a converter partner for Renault. Trucksmith also creates other manufacturer-approved low-loading Lutons, including the Vauxhall Movano KneeHi® and Fiat Ducato Canniloader®.

Trucksmith has announced the appointment of Martin Hargreaves to the South West field sales team at its Devon headquarters.
The award-winning van converter has seen double digit revenue growth in the past 12 months and the role will broaden the capabilities of its developing sales team.

Martin joins as Territory Field Sales Executive, and brings 11 years of experience with him in sales in the South West. He was formerly in sales management at retailer CarphoneWarehouse, running stores in locations such as Exeter and Barnstaple.

He said: “My experience in building and managing customer relationships will come to the fore in this role, since Trucksmith has the ability to tailor van conversions to any number of customer uses – from bread vans and delivery vehicles to showrooms and mobile libraries.
“I’ll be focusing on maintaining an unbeatable support network for our wide-ranging customers, including the Renault, Vauxhall and Fiat dealerships where our vehicles are available.”

The role at a commercial body builder like Trucksmith is particularly appropriate since Martin enjoys body building of a different kind – training as an amateur strongman in regional competitions.

Daniel Trebble, Managing Director at Trucksmith, said: “This is an exciting period for Trucksmith, with several new product launches this year, and Martin’s skills will be hugely valuable. We are focused on service as a business and his ability to form strong relationships at the highest level will play a key part in our client strategy.”

Trucksmith was recently voted Van Converter of the Year 2017 by readers of What Van? Magazine, and launched its new Renault Trafic Target dropside at the Commercial Vehicle Show in April 2017.

Award-winning van converter Trucksmith has literally put cutting-edge technology at the heart of its production process.

The Devon-based manufacturer has invested £1m in the latest metal cutting fibre laser technology from Amada. The equipment has enabled Trucksmith to automate production of sheet metal components for their market-leading low-loading Luton vans – which include the Renault Master LoLoader®, Vauxhall Movano KneeHi® and Fiat Ducato Canniloader®.

Daniel Trebble, Managing Director at the pioneering family-run business, said: “We have been innovating for more than two decades, and as technology has improved we have been first to embrace it. Fibre laser is a great example of how we can produce highly accurate components – even through the night using a fully automated cutting schedule– to enable our skilled people to build vehicles more efficiently.

“The technology we’ve chosen is not only more productive but also energy efficient, since it enables 2kW of laser power to profile steel components that would previously have required a 4kW laser.This new capability has been integral in our development of a brand-new dropside van we’re launching at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham later this month – the Renault Trafic Target.”
The Amada laser technology can cut through 25mm sheet steel, has continuous variable beam control across every thickness of material and a cutting speed of over 4700 ipm.

Trucksmith has also installed an Amada ASLUL fully automated loading system for the laser cutter, capable of storing and auto-loading up to nine tonnes of raw sheet metal and processed components. The system also includes an Amada press brake with 3D touch screen control panel to enable manual finishing of components.

Trucksmith was recently voted Van Converter of the Year 2017 by readers of What Van? Magazine, and as well as the new Renault Trafic Target is set to launch a low-loading Nissan Luton in the summer.

Trucksmith, an approved converter partner of Renault UK vans, has launched a new product at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show at the NEC.

The Target is based on the low roof Renault Trafic platform cab and introduces a clever secure loading space to the traditional dropside flatbed van. As you may expect from Trucksmith, What Van’s Converter of the Year 2017, the new vehicle is robust, practical and cleverly designed to meet the needs of tradesmen such as builders and gardeners, as well as council maintenance teams.

The upper loading area has 400mm high folding and removable aluminium panels with a 2850 x 1890mm top deck. The unique difference is the hidden lower desk where there is a secure and weather-proof load space accessible via a rear tailgate.

The fixed space is 1260 wide and 505mm deep, and designed to hold stacked standard 8 x 4’ sheets of material or bulky tools such as strimmers, keeping them secure and out of site.

The superstructure and load bed subframe are from pressed and welded steel, hot dip galvanized then bonded and mechanically fixed to the vehicle floor pan to form a one-piece monocoque structure. The top desk flooringis resin coated 12mm mesh-faced birch plywood.

With all the features you’d expect from the Renault Trafic, the Trucksmith vehicle will match Renault’s 4 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

https://www.trucksmithtarget.co.uk

Award-winning van converter Trucksmith has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Dan Gould.

Dan joins as Sales Consultant, bringing with him a wealth of sales and marketing expertise. He has a media degree from Plymouth University and his well-travelled experience has included selling ski chalets in the Alps and a sales role in the City.

His role in sales for Volkswagen, where he had exposure to consumer and fleet sales, has given him the bug to continue his career in the motor industry.

Simon Partridge, Executive Sales and Brand Manager at Trucksmith said: “Dan is a great addition to the team. His knowledge of the vehicle sector and sales and marketing background will help us capitalise on the popularity of our brands such as the LoLoader® in the commercial vehicle market.”

Trucksmith was recently voted Van Converter of the Year 2017 by readers of What Van? Magazine, and is set to reveal an innovative new Renault Master conversion in Spring 2017.

Readers of leading transport industry magazine What Van? have voted Trucksmith as Van Converter of the Year 2017.

Trucksmith was announced as the winner at an awards presentation in London in December 2016 attended by many of the major names in van production.

The company fought off stiff competition from 14 other vehicle converters to scoop the prestigious award.

Announcing the award, What Van? said: “Following its successful and popular debut in 2015, we have continued our reader-voted accolade for the third time. We asked readers to choose the best light commercial vehicle body builder or racking specialist from a 15-strong shortlist compiled by our expert panel.

“It is not difficult to understand why our readers voted for Trucksmith. The company has found a way around the traditional drawbacks of Luton vans, such as poor aerodynamics, high floors, and poor handling due to the high centre of gravity.”

Daniel Trebble, Managing Director at Trucksmith, said: “Thousands of our vans are now on the UK’s roads, and the public now recognises Trucksmith brands such as Renault Master LoLoader and Vauxhall Movano KneeHi.

“To think that they’ve voted for us over some worthy competition makes us incredibly proud and is an exceptional achievement for our business. It reflects our focus on innovation and quality, and our investment in state-of-the-art production facilities and well trained staff has been key to our success.”

Trucksmith pioneered the low-loading Luton van model and is an approved body builder for leading van marques including Renault, Vauxhall and Fiat.

August 10th 2016, Devon – Trucksmith has announced the sale of 14 of its Vauxhall Movano KneeHi^® vehicles to nationwide removals firm, White & Company.

The Trucksmith KneeHi^® is a Vauxhall-approved conversion based on the Vauxhall Movano platform cab. It overcomes the historic issues of poor aerodynamics and handling associated with Luton vans, using innovative manufacturing methods to achieve an outstanding payload that has become the hallmark of all Trucksmith vehicles.

Ian Palmer, CEO at White & Company, said: “The Trucksmith KneeHi^® will enhance our ability to provide a fast, efficient and competitive removals and storage service. We initially ordered two and put them through their paces, and saw the advantages in terms of loading height and payload immediately. We’ve taken delivery of an additional six vehicles in our fleet with an order for eight more in 2017.

“We now have a fleet of more than 200 vehicles, from LCVs to artics, and the Trucksmith KneeHi^® fleet broadens our capabilities, in particular making us more nimble in cities and in areas with poor accessibility.”

The Trucksmith KneeHi^® loading height of 550mm (450mm if air suspension is specified) is the lowest in its category, eliminating the need for a heavy tail lift. It offers a payload of 1,300kg, with fuel, the spare wheel and toolkit taken into account. Fuel consumption averages at 27mpg fully laden but can be significantly more on a run. Trucksmith builds the body using aluminium as standard rather than composites, which significantly reduces body weight, is stronger and increases payload.

Daniel Trebble, Managing Director at Trucksmith, said: “We are proud to be contributing to the continued success of White & Company. Their faith in our conversions demonstrates the increasing popularity of our low-loading concept within the UK removals market.

“We are able to undertake these conversions and any other specialist requirements within our own production facility that is Vauxhall accredited, and all our vehicles carry EWVTA and match the manufacturer’s warranty. We find the 3.5 tonne configuration popular because drivers do not need to obtain a specialist operating licence.”

Further innovative features of the Trucksmith KneeHi^® include double rear doors that open to 270 degrees, anti-slip plywood flooring, opalescent glass fibre roof panel to improve internal visibility and an interior lamp and strong steel bulkhead to provide additional cab security.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information please contact:

The Oxygen Agency

Steve Lodge
01884 255999 / 079311 51545
steve@oxygenagency.co.uk

7 June 2016 – Tiverton and Honiton MP Neil Parish MP formally opened a new 20,000 sq ft factory unit at Devon-based manufacturer Trucksmith on Friday 27 May.

Trucksmith is a UK leader in low-loading Luton van conversions and is an official partner for marques including Renault, Vauxhall and Fiat. Now celebrating its 30th year of production, the firm has expanded its production facility to more than 64,000 sq ft to cope with the demand for its vehicles.

The new facilities will accommodate the production of up to 25 low-floored Luton vans per week and allow Trucksmith to invest further in research and development into manufacturing technologies which has been central to the success of the business.

“Early on the company identified problems associated with payload in traditional Luton vans. We have developed new techniques to ensure all Trucksmith products provided outstanding payload for this class of low-loading vehicles”, said Managing Director Daniel Trebble.

“We continually invest in equipment and people so we can provide the highest quality services, and we support a range of industries by providing solutions to common delivery and loading challenges,” Daniel said.

“Our team has grown by 33% to just under 100 employees in the past year. We have successfully trained and retrained individuals to work across our business, from product design to carpentry to engineering to drivers.”

Daniel Trebble welcomed Mr Parish to the factory and introduced him to staff after a guided tour of the new facilities.

Mr Parish said: “It is fantastic to celebrate such a huge regional success story with this family-run business now at the forefront of its sector. The business has built a national reputation for designing and building premium commercial vehicle bodies and should be applauded for its success.

“Trucksmith is a company of which Devon can be very proud.”

Mr Parish added: “I am pleased that manufacturing skills are flourishing here in Devon. By taking on trainees – something which I strongly support – Trucksmith is investing in the next generation to continue their proud heritage.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

For further information please contact:

The Oxygen Agency

Steve Lodge
01884 255999 / 079311 51545
steve@oxygenagency.co.uk

18 January 2016, Devon – Trucksmith, an authorised converter of Renault UK vans, has announced that 500 Renault Master LoLoader™ vehicles rolled off its Devon-based production line during 2015, surpassing all previous production records.

The Trucksmith LoLoader™ was originally designed over twenty years ago.

to combat the historic issues of poor aerodynamics and handling associated with Luton vans. The team at Trucksmith came up with the stylish, high volume, low floored vehicle using innovative manufacturing methods to achieve an outstanding payload that has become the hallmark of all Trucksmith vehicles.

The current state-of-the-art Trucksmith LoLoader™, which is the market leader in its low-loading class, features the Renault Master Platform Club and offers a payload of of 1300kg, with the driver, fuel, spare wheel and toolkit taken into account. Fuel consumption averages at 27mpg fully laden but can be significantly more on a run.

The Trucksmith LoLoader’s 450mm loading height is the lowest in its category, eliminating the need for a heavy tail lift. Trucksmith also builds the body using aluminium as standard rather than composites, which significantly reduces body weight, is stronger and increases payload.

Daniel Trebble, Managing Director at Trucksmith, said: “This significant milestone in the history of the Renault Master LoLoader™ demonstrates its increasing popularity within the UK van market. The efficiency of the vehicle is matched by its versatility. We can create specialist vehicles such as a food retail, ice cream vans, mobile library or even a showroom.

“We are able to undertake these conversions and any other specialist requirements within our own production facility that is Renault approved. We find the 3.5 ton configuration popular because drivers do not need to obtain a specialist operating licence.”

Further innovative features include double rear doors that open to 270 degrees, anti-slip plywood flooring, opalescent glass fibre roof panel to improve internal visibility and an interior lamp and strong steel bulkhead to provide additional cab security.

Mr Trebble added: “All our vehicles carry EWVTA process and we match Renault’s 100,000 miles over four years warranty as standard.

“We are expanding our production facility with an additional 20,000sq ft factory space to cope with the increase in demand, and we’re continuing our investment into research and development into manufacturing technologies.”

The company’s innovative approach has led to Trucksmith becoming the first port of call for customers nationwide looking for unique designs, premium commercial vehicle bodies and the building of small and large fleets.