Commercial vehicle body supply: Osborne Motor Bodies Limited has over 100-years of history with our roots in customising early butcher's Clyno cars and coach-building, working mainly with wood. Our business evolved and has changed over time in line with advancements in-vehicle technology and development.
We are particularly well known for being the UK's largest manufacturer of milk delivery vehicles, customising and converting vehicles up to 7500Kg GVW. However, did you know that our reputation for building milk floats was established in the early days after WWII?
In 1946 Tony Osborne joined the business, and while doing his National Service, he got lifts from local dairymen while on leave. Their suggestion for him to design and produce a proper milk float for them inspired him to do just that!
Commercial vehicle body supply and conversion
Many decades later, we still build and customise milk delivery vehicles for our customers and adapt and convert vehicles for the utilities and glass carrying sectors of the vehicle bodybuilding trade.
You can take a look at our range of utility and milk delivery vehicle bodies to see examples of what type of vehicles you can buy for your business and how we can adapt them or fit them out to suit the needs of your business.
We also undertake one-off bespoke vehicle conversions for entrepreneurs and sole traders that want to start a mobile business or are looking to add a mobile element to their brick and mortar business.
The rise in home delivery companies
The 2020/21 pandemic saw a massive spike in demand from home delivery companies. It is a fact that modern consumerism starts online, usually from the comfort of the sofa using a smartphone.
The development of delivery apps has not only seen the likes of Hermes and DPD taking on extra delivery staff for their network, but it has also seen a rise in new startups delivering their goods right to their customer's doors.
Startups from across the nation have sprung up to produce and deliver their goods to people's doorsteps and have still remained popular despite lockdown restrictions being lifted in most places.
Local doorstep deliveries
Inspired by companies such as Deliveroo reporting an average of 45,000 loyal daily users, entrepreneurs have been combining convenience with affordability with their local, to-your-door services.
But bespoke products with a local home delivery option need an appropriate form of transport, which means more than a basic transit van can offer.
Whether it's locally grown vegetable boxes, locally raised butchers meat boxes, freshly baked goods, or raw or frozen pet food, you will need a refrigerated vehicle in most cases, with appropriate racking and secure shelving to keep your goods intact and safe.
Please take a look at our bespoke vehicle conversions to see how our team at Osborne Motor Bodies Ltd. have adapted basic milk float motor bodies to meet the individual needs of our customers.
Whether you need a milk delivery vehicle with dropside or shutter sides, you want us to add refrigeration units, or you need a transit van fitted out with racking, lighting or extra seating, look no further than our team!
Offering mobile services
In recent years we have also seen a rise in the number of mobile services being offered where the business goes to their customers rather than the other way round.
These services include mobile beauty therapists, mobile massage therapists, mobile cleaning services, gardening services and more.
In many cases, therapists are setting up to treat their clients inside their vehicles instead of entering their client's homes. Quite often, this can offer clients a little oasis of calm away from a hectic household with telephones ringing and children interrupting a treatment session.
Choosing the right vehicle is also essential if you plan to offer tanning facilities, waxing beds or mobile spa equipment that is not easy to transport. Our team at Osborne Motor Bodies Ltd. can undertake bespoke vehicle conversions to suit just about any business that wants to use their vehicle in such away.
We can install electric lighting, hand-washing sinks, seats, tables and a therapy bed for mobile masseurs, nail technicians, podiatrists and beauty therapists. Just come to us with your ideas and needs, and we will work with you to come up with a practical design for your vehicle interior.
Vehicle conversion safety and functionality
No matter what ideas you have for your commercial vehicle, whether it is racking and safe storage for your tools and equipment, refrigerated compartments, kitchens facilities, extra furniture or display cabinets, you need to consider the extra weight of the equipment and how it affects the balance and weight distribution over your vehicle chassis.
You really don't want to cut corners here or attempt a DIY option because you may find yourself in breach of Ministry of Transport rules and regulations.
All of the vehicle conversion work we undertake for our customers will be planned out using cutting edge CAD, which will ensure that all changes and modifications are within the weight allowance for your vehicle type.
We will also ensure that your conversion plan will evenly distribute the added weight of your vehicle modifications. We will make sure that they are well balanced and will not overload one side of your vehicle.
If you would like to know more about our services, do not hesitate to contact our friendly team.
