Stafford-based
inland waterway breakdown and emergency assistance firm River Canal Rescue has
acquired Burton-on-Trent diesel injection system specialist Key Diesels.
River
Canal Rescue is recognised as the ‘fourth emergency service’ for UK boaters and
provides customers with replacement parts cover meeting the costs of specified
parts and labour following an unforeseen breakdown. Key Diesels is one of the UK’s top repairers
and distributors of injection pumps, lift pumps and fuel pipes, and an
authorised distributor of Delphi components.
The
acquisition of 20 year-old Key Diesels illustrates how River Canal Rescue
continues to go from strength to strength; the firm’s staff tally is now 27
(having grown from five in 14 years), it has a thriving apprenticeship
programme and recently employed three new engineers and two apprentices.
Managing
Director, Stephanie Horton, says the merging of the two firms is a ‘great strategic
fit’. She comments; “By bringing the two
firms together, we can address the issues faced by people across the country
when diesel systems fail. For example,
there’s no price consistency - they differ from £300 to £700 for a BMC
injection pump dependent upon location - and if a repaired or refurbished part
fails, although it’s covered under a warranty, the labour costs to remove and
refit another one, are not.
“As
the engine (which these parts support) charges the boat’s batteries and so
supplies the power, a fast turnaround is crucial. A typical wait for repaired or new parts is
five to 10 days which is too long for a boat to be left without power. We can now control these issues and deliver a
more cost-effective service for our customers.”
This
single solution approach of stocking and supplying all common marine parts with
consistent pricing and a speedy turnaround also meets the needs of marinas and
contractors who have pledged to use River Canal Rescue and its new subsidiary
for their diesel system requirements.
And with expertise and the parts now so easily accessible, River Canal
Rescue is currently training all of its engineers in this area.
Four
Key Diesel staff; head engineer Hugh Hudson, mechanic Steve Humphreys and apprentices Dave Moore and
Shannon Andrea will be based at the existing office in Burton-on-Trent. River Canal Rescue remains at its Stafford
offices.
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