Leading vehicle recovery systems manufacturer Roger Dyson is to build 40 truck body conversions with 'no cost' upgrades - as a thank-you to the industry, to mark his four decades in business.
"This industry has been very good to me," he explains. "That's why in this, the year of our Ruby anniversary, and against the backdrop of a very challenging economic climate, it seemed the perfect time to give a little something back."
The limited edition models will be available on a 'first come, first served' basis. And the upgrade offer covers every product in the Dyson range, which includes Enforcer wheel lifts, Hydraloader slidebeds, vehicle and equipment transporters, Brimec plant loaders, Commander heavy recovery units, NRC sliding and rotating cranes, and even Landoll travelling axle trailers.
"I'm every bit as keen to help the guy buying a small 3.5-tonne transporter as I am a customer for a heavy piece of equipment costing £100,000 or more," says Roger. "After all, that's how I started out myself all those years ago."
Depending on the body specified, the savings on offer to operators could be worth thousands of pounds. Packages can be tailored to suit particular vehicles or equipment specifications. But, for example:
· A customer buying a small, single-car transporter might receive a cab light bar, extra ramps or a remote radio control at no extra cost;
· A Hydraloader La (Low approach) slidebed might be upgraded free-of-charge to SLa (Super Low approach) specification, with market-leading load angle of less than five degrees and
· A heavy recovery body might be fitted with a free second winch, rear jacks or even a crane boom.
Customers wishing to do so, can opt to have their new recovery truck finished in a special metallic paint finish or in 40th anniversary ruby red. And every one of the 40 vehicles to roll out of the leading manufacturer's factory in Droitwich, Worcestershire, will carry a unique, identification 'Limited Edition' number.
What's more, for every vehicle sold under the new offer Roger Dyson will make a donation to the Air Ambulance Association, a pledge which several chassis manufacturers have undertaken to match.
"I'm well aware of how tough things are in the vehicle recovery industry right now, and how difficult some operators are finding it just to keep their heads above water," continues Roger. "So I'd like to think that our commitment to build 40 bodies with free upgrades will go some way towards putting a smile back on people's faces."
Roger Dyson has always empathised with the challenges facing operators - because for many years he was one himself. He started out in the early 1970s in his home town of Redditch, Worcestershire, with a single Land Rover on which was mounted a small crane unit.
As the business grew - helped by the massive expansion of Redditch new town - he began manufacturing bodies, initially for his own use. But when other operators started asking him to build bodies for them too, the writing was on the wall.
The company was still running its own fleet when it moved in 1982 to its current home in Droitwich, and it was not until the early 1990s that Roger finally decided to quit the field and concentrate 100 per cent on manufacturing.
Over the last couple of decades the Roger Dyson name has become synonymous in the UK and beyond, with quality, engineering integrity and customer service.
"We never stop looking for ways to improve our products and after sales back-up," says Roger. "But having clocked-up 40 years in the vehicle recovery business, first as an operator and then as a manufacturer, I thought it was also time to pause and reflect on all that we've achieved, and to give a little something back through our free upgrade offer."