Leeds-based automotive engineering and vehicle-safety specialist SM UK (www.smuk.co.uk)has won a contract to fit out and modernise a five-strong fleet of service engineering vans for the coach sales arm of Arriva.

Based in Cleckheaton, Arriva Bus and Coach provides coaches for travel operators and other clients around the UK; its fleet of service vans enables its field technicians to carry out essential maintenance work at customers’ own premises.

The fit-out, already completed on three of the Arriva vans at SM UK’s new £2 million vehicle conversion centre in Leeds, has seen storage racking systems installed, as well as high-tech workstations and new lighting systems that enable engineers to work on vehicles in low-light conditions.

Nigel Clarke, head of after-sales and operations at Arriva Bus and Coach, said: “The storage systems and technology that SM UK is installing for us will be a game-changer.

"The entire system is bespoke, and it means that parts and equipment are easily accessible, do not get mixed up and are stored safely, all of which increases efficiency.

“We carry an air-conditioning maintenance kit, which has to be stored safely, and that now has its own purpose-built secure carrier within the new system. Our field technicians now have clean, dry and well-lit conditions in which to work.”

SM UK managing director Steve MacDonald, who founded the £6 million turnover business in 2000, said: “Modern high-tech storage systems for vans are proving transformative for our clients in a wide range of sectors, creating efficient storage and much safer and more ergonomic working conditions for operators.

“These systems are currently in high demand, as firms look to improve the safety and efficiency of their fleets.”