South Lanarkshire Council Deploy’s Industry’s First Demountable Road Marking Bodies From Somerford Equipment
South Lanarkshire Council has deployed the industry’s first fully demountable road marking bodies. Developed by Somerford Equipment, the UK’s leading manufacturer of road marking and road surfacing vehicles and equipment, the demountable bodies were ordered as part of a major ongoing fleet replacement programme being carried out by Kerr & Smith, the Glasgow-based Iveco dealer.
According to Dave Gibson, Transport and Maintenance Manager at South Lanarkshire Council: “This innovative demountable road marking body from Somerford Equipment was selected as it is compatible with our existing prime mover fleet and further extends the range of applications that can be handled by our workforce throughout the year. This has enabled us to maximise available budgets and deliver a more proactive response to enhancing road safety and reducing ongoing maintenance costs.”
These innovative new demountable road marking bodies have been ordered to replace an ageing fleet of three purpose-built road marking vehicles which were operational for only part of each year depending on weather conditions. They utilise standard hook-mount technology and are compatible with the council’s existing fleet of prime movers and can be loaded, connected and ready for use in less than 30 minutes.
This allows South Lanarkshire Council to quickly interchange between other stock bodies, including gritters, skip loaders and recycling units, to accommodate changes in staff availability or weather conditions.
“After evaluating the marketplace, we made the decision to work with Somerford Equipment as it could demonstrate the ability to successfully design, develop and manufacture this unique solution in short timescales,” added Peter Ewing, Commercial Truck Sales Manager at Kerr & Smith. “The company worked closely in partnership with our technical team and continues to provide the highest level of service support to ensure that the demountable road marking bodies continue to deliver greater operational flexibility and help reduce the council’s carbon footprint.”
Somerford Equipment added: “This unique fully demountable road marking body has already generated considerable interest from independent contractors and local authorities looking to achieve best utilisation and justification for equipment and machinery to help meet tight budgets when procuring capital plant. It also consolidates our leading position in the industry.”