Accreditations.
View our accreditations and how they have benefited Bence as an organisation and you as a customer.
Logistics UK.
Bence are a member of Logistics UK (formerly the FTA) and work in partnership to look at vehicle design, making sure the latest vehicles are compliant and road worthy. In addition, our transport department have regular reviews with Logistics UK to make sure our practices are in line with the current UK regulations. Our relationship allows us to discuss new designs and also new ways of transporting vehicles prior to the design and risk assessment phase. We have been a member for over 20 years and understand our legal responsibilities to both customers and employees.
ISOQAR.
To obtain ISO9001 and 14001, we employ and independent accreditation body, ISOQAR, to review and audit our policies, processes and make sure they meet the rigorous standards we set ourselves. ISOQAR carry out 6 monthly audits on our ISO9001 processes, reviewing everything from Sales through to After Sales Care. Each department has a variety of auditable KPIs, which are regularly reviewed to make sure they match our current build process and customer support programme.
Moving to ISO14001, our independent body reviews our ongoing commitment to carbon footprint reduction, looking at using the latest technologies for recycling our waste materials and the investment in utilities items such as solar panels, with the main factory now supported by a roof-mounted 50kw solar array. We have also looked to update our latest vehicles with new vans to by hybrid or electric for our engineer and transport department and regularly updating our onboard generator systems to provide the latest low emissions solutions. In 2020, we also created the first of our hybrid generator systems, which is a combination of low power generators and onboard battery packs
NICEIC.
The Bence electrical team are all qualified to the latest IEE 18th Edition standards and have an in-house tester, capable of testing all elements of the vehicle in both DC and AC power. Bence also work with the NHS Trusts to meet the HTM standards for the relocatables built by Bence across the UK for clinical diagnostic imaging. This incorporates the latest in air handling systems and material choices to provide clinical sign off from infection control.
VBRA.
The Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association (VBRA) was formed in 1959. Long before the invention of the Internet the VBRA produced a Yearly Catalogue which was the bible of all coachbuilders and motor repairers. This thick tome contained the names and addresses of all the suppliers to the Coachbuilding and vehicle repair industry plus all the accredited Coachbuilders and repairers in the country. Back then you could look up the suppliers of anything from a side window rubber seal to a coach bolt or find a local repair company in the Catalogue. If you were in the Coachbuilding and repair industry you could apply for membership to the association and after the committee had vetted your company have your name included in the catalogue as VBRA accredited firm, a practice which is still carried out to this day.
This was a big deal because at that time it was not easy to get accreditation and the big insurance companies would only allow VBRA registered companies to carry out Insurance claim repairs. These days the insurers have their own repair shops and the invention of the internet has depleted the size of the Catalogue even on line.
Despite this, the VBRA remains today a leading Motor Trade Association for businesses in the Automotive industry. Their many members build, repair, service and maintain vehicles of all descriptions. It sets and monitors its members’ operating standards to encourage ethical business behaviour and ensure that customers choosing to use a VBRA member can have confidence and assurance that in their choice they will receive high standards of service.
As a VBRA member, Bence are required to comply with current legislative regulations and the VBRA Consumer Code of Practice which guides all parties towards ensuring a satisfactory outcome in the provision of services and repairs.