Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ new authorised repairer Automania Garage Services (AGS), opened its flagship site at Heathrow Airport this week.
The 2-acre site, which includes a 64,000sq ft workshop, is the product of a £6m investment. There are 39 bays of varying lengths, 17 of which have commercial vehicle pits, and two dedicated Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) lanes. The company anticipates that 50% of its work will come from within the airport, and the other 50% will be from local operators. Roughly 65% of the vehicles on its books are Mercedes-Benz.
The site has been future-proofed, with seven electric vehicle chargers, and has its own substation. Joint MD Paul Mcgerty explained that this is in anticipation of an expected growth in zero-emission ground support vehicles. Heathrow is working towards operating a zero-carbon airport infrastructure by the mid 2030s
Mcgerty dismissed the suggestion that a growth in electric vehicles will have a negative effect on workflow for service providers. “Zero-emission vehicles won’t take work away from us, they’ll just change the way that we work,” he said.
But what does concern Mcgerty is the government’s current foreign travel quarantine policy. He said: “What we need is consistency, as people don’t know where we are at the moment. If it’s not safe to fly, then don’t fly. But they can’t just open and close routes. It’s not good for local businesses.”
Outgoing Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK MD Mike Belk, who was joined at the event by his successor Wolfgang Theissen, said: “This is such an interesting business, because at the heart of it is the service operation. They have the airside exposure at Heathrow, which obviously means they understand what it is to keep vehicles on the road, as uptime is everything on the airfield. That should hold is in very good stead to expand this experience out to a broader customer base than just the traditional focus they have on the airport.”
When asked whether AGS is likely to become a Mercedes-Benz sales outlet in the future, Belk said: “Service sells. I’m sure that will provide a foundation, and who knows what will happen? If an opportunity comes up in the future, they are clearly in a good position to discuss that.”
• Earlier this month Rygor Commercials also opened a new 30,000sq ft truck site next to Heathrow Airport.
