Glen Dimplex has begun to take a staggered delivery of 36 long-bodied Vito 111 CDIs from Mercedes-Benz Vans.

The company's service engineers are already using 20 of the vans, with an additional 16 due to arrive at the end of November.

Glen Dimplex's service division Home Appliance Care plans to add a further 100 examples of the same model next year.

Supplied by the Mercedes-Benz Retail Group, optional air-conditioning and parking sensors is being added to the vehicles.

Andrew Winstone, fleet manager at Glen Dimplex, said: “We talked to other van providers, but ultimately its 24-hour servicing capability and free, MobiloVan breakdown cover tipped the scales in favour of Mercedes-Benz.

“Our engineers are on the road every day. Previous experience has proved that their performance drops if they have to use a hired van, as has happened when their own vehicle goes in for a service or repair during normal working hours.

“The fact that Mercedes-Benz can work on our vans through the night means this issue will no longer arise, because the engineer’s fully-stocked Vito will always be available for work when he needs it."

Glen Dimplex will run its Vito vans for four years.