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As electrification continues to redefine the commercial vehicle sector, VFS has been adapting its operations to meet that shift.“ I think we are going to see a significant move towards the electric vehicle( EV) market in the next two years. The new EVs coming online now have better range and more competitive pricing, which makes them a strong option, particularly for local authorities and last-mile delivery operators. We have trained staff and are already building EVs, though the numbers remain quite low compared to the broader market. Currently, we are working with Ford on the new City Transit, which will be introduced towards the end of the year, and we will be building more electric vehicles from Q4 onwards. The build process is relatively similar for EVs, though there is slightly more work around things like side protection due to the battery placement, which slightly increases build time,” Alexander informs.
Alongside the shift to electrification, VFS has also been investing heavily in IT infrastructure, AI and a new ERP system to improve efficiency and stay on top of growing demand. But the most transformative change has been a deliberate effort to rationalize the business from the inside out, an initiative driven by Alexander himself.“ We have 30 years of accumulated information and products to work through. For a long time, we had a mentality of doing anything for anyone, but we have been working to change that to be more strategic in our approach, designing products for the end market rather than letting the end market dictate the product to us. A good example is tipper truck cages. We were fitting around 50 different versions of those cages for local authorities and waste and grounds maintenance customers. In the last five months, we have designed a universal
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