Repco chooses Iveco for mobile tool store program

Mechanics swear by the merits of having high quality tools, but for many of them, a major hinderance in keeping their toolboxes stocked and up to date, is finding time to visit the local tool shop – Repco’s mobile tool store initiative offers a solution.

Eighteen months ago, the 100-plus-year-old automotive retailer increased its service offering with the launch of IVECO Daily mobile tool stores, providing new levels of convenience for time-poor buyers.

Repco National Mobile Tool Store Manager, David Forsyth, played an important role in bringing the initiative to life, drawing on over 10 years of experience in the industry.

“Our prospective customers can work long hours and have extremely busy schedules, so getting to a retail outlet particularly during business hours can become a challenge for them,” Mr Forsyth said.

“Mobile tool stores are not a new concept, but having worked in this field for many years including as a franchisee for another company, I was able to see what worked and identify areas where the service could be improved.

“Once of the major benefits of Repco’s mobile tool stores is that we’re faster to service customers. In most cases if buyers want equipment that’s not on board, we can have it to them either the same day, or the next working day; it won’t take days or weeks.”

Repco’s mobile tool store fleet consists of four Daily 50C vans that operate throughout Melbourne, with a fifth van to begin work in Geelong soon. By next year, Repco says it plans to scale up the program into other states around the country.

Each van is aligned with a store and services customers within the general area, but can also travel further afield to meet requests, and Mr Forsyth says that the uptake of the mobile tool service has been strong.

“Depending on customer needs, we schedule weekly or fortnightly visits but can also do ‘one-offs’,” he said.

“We deal with a huge range of businesses as well, it’s just not automotive, we work with commercial vehicle workshops, motorcycle outlets, the marine, construction and agricultural industries and access equipment outlets, anything that’s mechanically based really. And all buyers are treated as trade customers, so will always purchase at competitive rates.”

Repco’s Daily vans feature a volume capacity of 18m³ and were optioned with the 180hp/430Nm engine and eight-speed automatic transmission configuration; they also feature ‘Hi-Comfort’ packs.

Mr Forsyth explains that the Daily are an ideal fit for the application for various reasons – among them the fact they can be driven on a car licence despite offering impressive payload.

“The Daily range gave us a generous carrying capacity while still being able to be driven on a car licence, meaning it was easier to allocate drivers to each van,” he explained.

“We also wanted vans that were rear-wheel drive to provide better balance on the road, and that had strong structural underpinnings (the Daily range features a full-length steel C-Section chassis), to accommodate the interior fit out we wanted. Safety features were also important – there aren’t too many vans out there that could give us what the Daily offered.”

Inside the cargo bay, the van is lined with shelving and display areas and also has bench space – even the ceiling has been used with tools neatly secured overhead. The area provides sufficient room for up to four people, allowing them to touch and interact with the equipment, while the 2100mm ceiling height comfortably caters for even the tallest mechanics.

On the outside a dropdown electric step provides easy ingress and egress while the package is completed with a bright red wrap.

Future vans will be delivered to Repco already painted red from the manufacturing facility, saving the company time and money.

Mr Forsyth says the Daily vans have performed exceptionally well since entering service, getting the job done while offering serious comfort for drivers.

“The vans are so comfortable and easy to drive especially compared to some of the light trucks I’ve used,” he said.

“Our team really enjoys using the Dailys and are pleased with the very pleasant work environment they give us; they handle the job with ease as well. It doesn’t even feel like they’re loaded.”