Mercedes-Benz and its dealer network have worked hard to maintain support for customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two prime examples being Orwell Truck & Van (with locations in Ipswich, Colchester, Newmarket, and Norwich) and S & B Commercials (Hatfield, Stansted, and Thurrock). Both dealers are owned by the Motus Group and the workshops at all of their locations have remained opened since the outbreak.
The company’s new customer contact centre, which opened in February, has played a major role in providing reliable service. Its purpose is to streamline the maintenance and repair scheduling process as well as give customers a way to send in sales enquiries. It has served van operators, with many employees working safely from home, but recently added truck operators because it has “dedicated personnel now in place,” according to Mercedes-Benz.
New Managing Director
Lee Seward, a longtime industry veteran who climbed the ladder from a technician apprenticeship to an operations director role working with such brands as Audi and Volkswagen, has been the managing director of Orwell and S & B since December. Although it is his first time representing the Mercedes-Benz brand, Seward hit the ground running over the past few months by restructuring his management team and creating four new regional general manager positions, all with the goal of making “the introduction of new systems and processes” more efficient, the company explains.
Soon after Seward joined the team, the Motus Group bought a half-acre of land to add more parking spaces at Orwell Truck & Van’s location at the Airport Industrial Estate in Norwich. The group also plans to expand S & B’s workshop in Thurrock, a project that will add two more truck bays and “improve traffic flow around the site,” Mercedes-Benz adds. This expansion represents an investment of more than £1 million in the facility.
An Eye Toward The Future
“We were starting to see the fruits of the measures we’d introduced and gain some real momentum, so from a purely business perspective the lockdown was extremely frustrating. I’m hugely proud of the way we’ve responded, changing the way we do things to keep the lines of communication flowing, and remaining open at all locations,” says Seward. “The next couple of months will be crucial as our own businesses, and those we serve, continue to emerge from the lockdown. I have the good fortune to lead a very talented, committed team, and am determined to ensure that whatever form the ‘new normal’ takes, Orwell Truck & Van and S & B Commercials will be there to keep our customers moving.”
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