Commercial vehicle bodybuilders that could go out of business as
a direct result of new EU legislation are being offered fresh
hope.
Leading dry freight specialist Bevan Group is inviting companies
in the firing line to secure their futures by becoming
'licensees'.
Industry pundits have predicted that the UK bodybuilding
industry is on the brink of a massive cull as a direct result of
the introduction of European Whole Vehicle Type Approval
legislation.
They argue that the upcoming conformity standard places such
onerous demands on firms that many, and particularly the smallest
outfits, will be unable to comply - one report has suggested that
today's total of approximately 1,500 UK bodybuilders could plummet
to as few as 150 in 10 years' time.
Key to this offer is Bevan Group's own European Whole Vehicle
Type Approval Certification - the West Midlands-based company
became the first UK bodybuilder to achieve the new status in the
spring of 2009, more than five years ahead of the mandatory
deadline for 'second stage' bodybuilders of 2014
Bevan has ascertained that licensees trading under its Quality
Management Systems could be covered automatically by its own Whole
Vehicle Type Approval Certification.
The first stage of the new legislation covers chassis cabs but
excludes bodies. From 2014, however, entire vehicles will have to
meet Type Approval. As a result, all bodybuilders will have to keep
thorough records and be certified to show that they have complied
with the law.
"When the type approval legislation starts to bite," warned a
spokesman for the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
(SMMT), "a bodybuilder will not simply be able to send the office
junior down to the local Post Office to buy a pack of Certificates
of Conformity or a Whole Vehicle Type Approval Certificate. There
will be a process of inspection and testing for each new model, all
based on those quality standards."
Bevan Group Managing Director Anthony Bevan says the very
considerable demands placed on bodybuilders by the impending
legislation are sure to defeat many companies, which do not have
the resources to achieve compliance.
"We know of bodybuilders who are having sleepless nights because
of the threat that Whole Vehicle Type Approval presents," he
says.
Bevan Group stole a march on the competition by committing
itself very early to the achievement of European Community Type
Approval Status. But it had to devote considerable financial and
other resources in order to do so.
"With this new licensing offer we are inviting fellow
bodybuilders to benefit from all of the work we have already done,
and the expense we have gone to, and thereby ensure their long-term
survival," continued Anthony Bevan. "My message to them is simple:
'We've been there and done it, and we can help you to get there
too. Deadline day is fast approaching so talk to us now, before
it's too late.'"
Whole Vehicle Type Approval authorises bodybuilders to produce
vehicles to proven specifications and self-certify them as
compliant with relevant legislation.
Bevan Group produces a Certificate of Conformity (CofC) for each
vehicle built at its productions facilities in Halesowen and
Oldbury, underlining its leadership in terms of quality, processes,
systems and service, and underpinning its links with chassis
manufacturers and their dealers.