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By Steve Mitchell in Industry on 8th Feb 2011 10:00
Two John Deere XUV 850D Gator 4x4 utility vehicles are used daily for a variety of jobs at the Royal Portbury Dock in Bristol by Autologic, one of the largest and most successful vehicle logistics companies servicing the UK and European automotive industry.
Supplied and kitted out by Bristol dealer B S Mowers to Autologic's specification, the road homologated Gators are equipped with a front-mounted brush or blade, plus water tanks with weed sprayer or motorised pressure washer attachments for general cleaning and site maintenance duties.
Autologic delivers a range of services to car manufacturers, importers, rental and contract hire companies and dealers, from new vehicle preparation, storage, technical enhancement and transportation to used vehicle refurbishment and remarketing. The Portbury site covers around 300ac, with a capacity of around 40,000 vehicles on the ground, and an annual throughput of around 120,000.
"We've been running the Gators for over three months now as replacements for our previous pick-up trucks, and they've already made the operators' lives so much easier," says Autologic's purchasing manager Mike Farrell, who reviewed several different makes before opting for the John Deere machines, citing their proven track record and robust design.
"In addition to general maintenance around our vehicle compounds, including a weed management programme, they are used to carry vehicle parts and accessories to the different manufacturers' workshops and stores.
"The front blade and brush attachments in particular came in very useful for snow clearing over the winter - we managed to keep the depot open and vehicles moving throughout, which was a definite plus point, as it meant we were working when others weren't able to.
"As well as costing less than the pick-ups we ran before, the Gators are more compact and manoeuvrable, providing better access across the site, and despite their smaller size, the load capacity is still good enough for the jobs we need them to do. Overall they've proved to be very versatile, and well suited for our day to day operations."
ENDS (January 2011)
For further details and/or photographs, please contact:
David Hart
John Deere Limited
Tel: 01949 860491
Fax: 01949 860490
Website: www.JohnDeere.com
Read more articles in Industry, by Steve Mitchell or from February 2011.
