One of TSG’s new Citan vans.
It took the team at Merc dealer Rygor’s Heathrow branch just two weeks to deliver the first 20 Mercedes-Benz Citan vans ordered by central heating contractor TSG Building Services plc after it landed two new contracts and needed extra vans fast.
A specialist supplier to local authorities and housing associations, TSG is now running 54 Citans, as well as nine larger Vito models. All are the subject of a CharterWay contract hire agreement from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services under which they will each cover 20,000 miles a year.
The new vans have been allocated to TSG service engineers who work throughout the South and South-East. They will be maintained by Rygor, Britain’s biggest Mercedes-Benz Dealer, at the operator’s headquarters in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, as well as at other locations.
Launched last year, the Citan is the smallest van ever to wear a three-pointed star. It leads the field in terms of fuel efficiency, achieving up to 65.7 mpg and producing CO2 emissions as low as 112 g/km. As I’ve documented over the last few months, it’s making steady progress in the fleet market, thanks to its high quality, fuel efficiency, and the appeal of the three-pointed star.
TSG’s Citans are all Long-bodied 109 CDIs with 66 kW (90 hp) diesel engines and optional Bluetooth telephony. Rygor fitted their Rhino roof racks and co-ordinated the application by TLC Signs, of Feltham, of TSG’s livery.
TSG Managing Director Ben Thrussell confirms:
“This is our first experience of operating Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Rygor have been extremely efficient in handling our enquiry and subsequent order.
“We required delivery of 20 vehicles within just a couple of weeks, as we had won two new contracts and needed our engineers on site with their vehicles as a matter of urgency.
“We also wanted to ensure that our fleet changes were carried out before the onset of winter and the colder weather, to avoid downtime during our busiest period. Rygor delivered the vans efficiently and effectively to a weekly schedule, causing the minimum stress to our drivers and interruption to our operation.”
Founded more than 50 years ago as a small central heating installation business, TSG now offers a broad range of services, from volume domestic and commercial boiler installations to long-term maintenance contracts. The fast-growing company operates 120 vans in total – while roughly half of its new Mercedes-Benz vehicles have replaced older vehicles, the rest represent extensions to its fleet.