Having hired with Northgate for over 10 years, Douglas Communications grew their rental fleet of vans to 16, bringing the total fleet to 46 vehicles. With an aging owned fleet, however, Douglas Communications’ said service costs had risen significantly in recent years.
After switching to Northgate’s SMR offering, Douglas Communications reported a 100% reduction in downtime, resulting in an estimated total saving of around £15,000 annually.
‘Working with Northgate has given Douglas Communications the use of quick, reliable and professional workshops across the UK,’ explained Brian Fairhurst, logistics manager at Douglas Communications Ltd.
‘More importantly, we are able to access workshop facilities outside of trading hours from the Bolton branch, with the convenience of accessing replacement vehicles whilst SMR work is carried out. This keeps downtime to a minimum allowing us to operate more efficiently.’
‘Northgate’s strategically placed branches give us comfort that help is just around the corner. The combination we have of flexible vehicle hire and owned fleet maintained by Northgate is exactly the mix that works for our business – Northgate is the perfect fit for our requirements, I don’t believe there is another company that could fit this model,’ added Mark Douglas, managing director at Douglas Communications.