The official opening event for the new offices at Keltruck Scania Newark took place in September following over 18 months of work and extensive investment. Developed on the branch’s existing site, the project involved refitting a building originally used as storage attached to the body shop into state-of-the-art offices, meeting rooms, staff canteen and reception area.
The new building also features a driver waiting room and washing facilities. To the side of the building, there is now a dedicated used vehicle sales area for potential Scania customers to look around a selection of vehicles and speak with the new Used Vehicle Sales Executive based at Newark, Russell Barnes.
Anthony Smeed, Regional Manager, said: “We’re extremely happy with the work that we’ve completed at Newark and we intend on doing even more. Now that the original building has more space, we are planning to update this for the technicians with the addition of a new modern canteen and welfare area. We are a premium brand and sell premium Scania products and we want to ensure we’re projecting that image not only to our customers when they come to see us but also to our dedicated employees.”
The new office space houses the six staff based permanently at the site and offers ‘hot desks’ for those members of the team often out on the road such as regional and account managers. The new meeting room on-site is also a welcome addition. It is hoped by the team that it will put Newark on the map as a potential location for regional meetings.
David Morgan, New and Used Sales Director, said: “I’m very pleased with the renovations at Newark and believe they will bring a number of benefits to our staff and our customers. It’s a great facility now and has a brilliant atmosphere to match – it’s a nice reward for our staff and a ‘thank you’ for putting up with the building works!”
Phil Haywood, Branch Manager, agrees: “We’ve already seen a number of benefits for our staff since we’ve moved into the new offices. One example is there is now more social interaction between us as we congregate in the canteen to eat our lunches. Previously, we would eat at our desks. It’s great too that we now have a dedicated used vehicle area for customers to look round and a pleasant and premium location to discuss their needs with our team.”
After joining the team in November 2017 as Used Vehicle Sales Executive, Russell Barnes was based at Keltruck Scania West Bromwich but is now based at Newark.
He said: “It’s great to finally be here as I knew when I started that this was the ultimate plan. It’s been helpful getting to know the team and processes at head office in West Bromwich, but now I’m going to be based here all the time and I’m excited. I can’t wait to get out there to meet local customers and introduce myself as well as welcoming them on-site to see the vehicles we have here. I used to be a lorry driver for 12 years before getting into sales, so I like to think I can see it from a customer perspective. Working for Keltruck Scania for me is my ultimate job, I speak from experience when I say I know Scania is a good product.”
Nicola Walker, a Service Administrator at the Newark branch, has worked at Newark for over two years. She said: “The old office was loud and dark, and we were limited with space. The new office is light and spacious, I find I can get my work done quicker and more efficiently as it’s quiet and I can concentrate. I wouldn’t have thought that a change in office would have made such a difference, but it has.”
For more information visit keltruckscania.com/newark.
