09 Nov 09 Article in the CBW Coach and Bus Week, Wednesday October 14, 2009
• Miscellaneous •
"There are definitely signs that enquiries are increasing - not necessarily because of the show," UK sales director Phil Stratton, told CBW.
"That said so far (Wednesday) we've had lots of enquiries. People actually want to talk business, which is refreshing. Generally speaking, independent operators in the bus & coach industry are looking to reduce costs by bringing maintenance in house."
Vincent Jolliot, commercial director, SEFAC SA commented: "A new feature for us is to offer computer diagnosis of our equipment and the power to vary lifting speeds, something that we are the first supplier in the market to offer."
"Some of our customers are somewhat reluctant to the idea of having electronic lifts but we tell them it's not like a child's PC game - this is designed for everyday workshop conditions. We call it the S1, which has a capacity of 5.5 tonnes and the S3, for an 8.2 tonnes payload."
Mr Stratton said a range of finance options are also now available. "Operators have sharpened up their attitudes to finance," he explained. "Hence, we've teamed up with a finance partner to offer them a range of solutions, both on and off balance sheet, including traditional lease purchase, where the VAT is payable up front, finance lease where the VAT is spread through instalments and contract hire."