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Mercedes-Benz South West has opened a £1m servicing facility in Taunton, Somerset.
The workshop is located at the edge of Taunton’s Crown Industrial Estate, a short distance from the retail dealership on Toneway where vans were previously maintained and repaired alongside Mercedes-Benz cars.
The new centre incorporates six bays with ramps – one of which has a 6.5-tonne capacity – as well as an MoT lane for testing vehicles in the Class 4, 5 and 7 categories
It also serves as a base for a Service 24h Sprinter, which offers round-the-clock emergency roadside assistance for Mercedes-Benz vans.
The Taunton development follows the opening in March of a light commercial vehicle centre in Exeter.
General manager Martin Green said the rapid expansion of the home delivery sector had led to increased demand for van-related warranty work, servicing and MoT tests.
“A high proportion of retailers and parcel delivery specialists run Mercedes-Benz vans. As a result, whereas not so long ago we were selling between £1,500 and £2,000 worth of commercial vehicle labour hours a month, today the figure is approaching £10,000.”
He said opening hours at the new workshop could be extended and the group is to recruit new staff.
“We’re committed at Mercedes-Benz South West to a strategy of growing our own. We’ll therefore be looking to recruit an additional apprentice this summer, who will be based at the new van centre,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz South West is part of City West Country (UK Holdings), which has Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Chichester and Haslemere. It is rated 48 in the Motor Trader Top 200 Dealer Groups with annual turnover of £301.3m.