Spartan Motors‘ business unit, Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services, has launched Spartan Upfit Services—a modernized fleet upfit assembly operation in Kansas City, Mo.
The new business will occupy a 146,000 sq.-ft.-facility, dedicated exclusively to providing tailored upfits of cargo vans and other fleet vehicles.
Spartan Upfit Services streamlines the fleet customization process for vehicles like the Ford Transit, the company says. Located adjacent to Ford’s Kansas City-based Transit manufacturing facility, Spartan Upfit Services customers benefit from Ford’s “Ship-Thru” program, which delivers the vehicle to the customer’s dealership of choice. In addition to cost savings, Spartan Upfit Services seeks to optimize speed of delivery for businesses waiting for their fleets by offering a combination of kits and base packages with customized upfit services to a full range of cargo van manufacturers. Common vocational packages are stocked for quick delivery.
“Our Utilimaster brand has a long history of designing and building solutions for virtually every kind of fleet delivery and service business, including some of the largest fleet brands in the world,” says Daryl Adams, president and CEO at Spartan Motors. “Spartan Upfit Services is born from that pedigree, and we believe the insight we’ve garnered over the years will benefit all fleets, specifically those using cargo vans. We will add value through a single point of release, one-time freight expense, and custom designs that meet the precise needs of individual fleet managers.”
Spartan Motors says Spartan Upfit Services also will focus on upfitting cargo van fleets, including those serving the utility, telecom, health care, construction, food and beverage, and parcel delivery markets. Spartan Upfit Services understands how fleets support business objectives, and designs and customizes upfits that ease the storing, transporting, and loading and unloading processes, increasing both driver productivity and overall efficiency, the company says.
“Our team has conducted hundreds of ride-alongs in the field with drivers from all types of vocations in an effort to better understand the unique challenges they face,” says John Forbes, president of Spartan Fleet Vehicles and Services. “This understanding has driven the Spartan Upfit Services design process and has resulted in our ability to provide informed base upfit packages and specialty options that not only do the job, but do it in the most efficient and effective way possible.”
