Thousands of ice cream van operators, known as ‘mobilers’ in the trade, play their evocative jingles on the streets of Britain, in the process selling over £100 million worth of ice cream each year. One company contributing more than most to this thriving industry is Whitby Specialist Vehicles of Crewe, the world’s leading manufacturer of ice cream vans and trucks, which exports its products as far afield as America, Russia, Middle East and the Canary Islands. Established since 1962 and marketing its vehicles under the Whitby Morrison brand, the company produces a range of custom-built vans, complete with freezers and soft ice cream machines, converts customers’ existing chassis and even builds ice cream trailers, kiosks and tricycles for applications where vans are not suitable.

Ice cream vehicles are renowned for their bright, eyecatching liveries and the topcoat system for the Whitby Morrison range is manufactured by HMG Paints of Manchester, a leading supplier of surface coatings to the bus, coach and commercial vehicles finishing and refinishing industry. In addition to the bright reds, oranges, blues and yellows favoured by many mobilers, HMG provides all BS, RAL and OEM colours, matches special shades to samples of bodywork and other items, and recently provided fluorescent finishes for Whitby’s latest show vehicles, which were well received by the trade.

Ice cream has always been a commodity that lends itself to being sold at the point of consumption, since it is best eaten straight away, and motorised vans have been popular since the 1950’s. Founder and current Chairman, Bryan Whitby was then instrumental in revolutionising the industry, by developing a direct drive system to power the on-board soft ice cream machinery, thereby allowing refrigeration and dispensing equipment to be incorporated into lighter, lower-cost 15cwt vehicle chassis. Today, the Whitby system is accepted throughout the world and is at the heart of all Whitby Morrison vehicles.

Built mainly around Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter chassis, as well as Chevrolet trucks for the US export market, customised bodywork of various sizes and configurations is fabricated from glass reinforced plastic, a tough, lightweight, durable laminate that has a high strength-to-weight ratio and does not dent, rust or corrode. At its purpose-built factory, Whitby Specialist Vehicles has separate moulding, fabrication, refrigeration, vehicle build and finishing areas, with each van customised to suit the customer’s merchandising and equipment requirements. It also has the capacity to convert any existing chassis into a modern ice cream ‘mobiling unit’, while in-house refinishers, signwriters and vinyl lettering specialists personalise the external livery.

The HMG finishing system applied to all Whitby ice cream vehicles comprises its MPS4+1 Polykote primer and Acrythane XSC98 two-pack acrylic topcoat, both of which are proven products in the UK vehicle finishing and refinishing industry. Spray applied and fast drying, MPS 4+1 is an ideal primer filler/surfacer with good impact resistance; Acrythane XSC98 is a high solids system offering excellent scratch filling, fast throughput, superb long term durability and outstanding gloss and colour retention.

HMG’s paint system affords extreme protection against the harsh weather conditions, atmospheric pollution, salt and grime, mechanical washes and chemical agents likely to be encountered by road-going ice cream vehicles, especially as mobilers increasingly operate on a year-round basis.

“As to quality, pricing and service, if HMG didn’t live up to its claims, we wouldn’t be buying paint from them,” says Whitby’s Chief Buyer, Colin Hockley. “So it speaks volumes that we’ve been dealing with them for ten years. Also, unlike small suppliers who can only offer standard BS shades, HMG can formulate virtually any colour, so if a customer asks us to match a pink filler cap from a cherished 50’s van for instance, we can do it.”

At a recent trade exhibition, Whitby displayed show vehicles finished in vibrant fluorescent colours, for added on-street impact, which prompted a favourable response from mobilers and attracted a number of firm orders. To help prepare the vans, HMG sent technical personnel to advise on applying the new system, which comprises a fluorescent base overcoated with two-pack clear lacquer, underlining the close working relationship between paint manufacturer and vehicle builder - both, incidentally, British and successful in their respective niche markets.

Further enquiries to:

HMG Paints
Riverside Works
Collyhurst Road
Manchester
M40 7RU
Telephone 0161 205 7631
email sales@hmgpaint.com

or to:

Whitby Morrison
Crewe Gates Industrial Estate
Crewe
CW1 6TT
Telephone 01270 581318
email info@whitbymorrison.com

Press Contact:

David Gent Creative
Tel 01706 220388
Fax 01706 215849
email david@davidgent.com

HMG Paints, which produces a range of high performance marine coatings for topsides and hulls, is supporting a talented young sailor in his quest for Olympic glory, at the 2012 London games. Thirteen year old David Carpenter, who has progressed rapidly from the Topper dinghy class to Laser Olympic single handers, will carry the HMG Paints logo on his sail, as he competes at Junior, Youth and Open levels around Britain.

David, who lives in Greenmount, Bury, and is enthusiastically backed by parents Peter and Mary, was previously a leading light in the international Topper class, where he was a member of the National Junior Squad and trained with RYA Topper National Coach, Dave Cockerill. This year, young David Carpenter stepped up to the Laser class, the world’s most popular Olympic singlehanded boat and the category in which Ben Ainslie won Gold at Sydney, and was selected again for the National Junior Squad. Sailing an entry-level Laser 4.7, he proved an immediate success, winning three out of his first four races and coming second in the other. So much so that he is now being considered as an under-age member of the Youth squad, sailing a Laser Radial, the newly-adopted Olympic ladies single-hander and only one category away from the full-rig boat.

“David Carpenter is very much a prospect,” says coach Dave Cockerill. “He has already won national championship races, competing against adults, and was at least a year younger than other members of my squad. He was instantly successful in the Laser 4.7 class and there’s every prospect that he will eventually compete in the Olympics.”

Manchester-based HMG Paints, which is also a sponsor of the Starchaser rocketship initiative and regularly donates paint for charitable and heritage projects, produces a wide range of specialist marine coatings, including protective finishes, yacht varnishes, topside paints and the unique Superspeed SP53 antifouling. These products are available nationally through HMG’s independent paint distributors and internationally via its Marine Division, based in Roebuck, South Carolina.

The link between David Carpenter and HMG Paints came through the head of its Marine Division, David McRobbie, whose UK family home is also in Greenmount. One day the teenager was enthusing about his boat and mentioned to McRobbie that he needed a new sail and was hoping for some sponsorship. Unbeknownst to the youngster, McRobbie raised the possibility with the HMG board, who agreed to provide sails and other kit for all of his boats and are now following his progress keenly.

David Carpenter has been sailing seriously for just four years and is a student at St Gabriel’s R.C. High School, which also encourages his endeavours, as does Bury Metro, which allows him to train regularly at Castle Leisure Centre. His parents, Peter and Mary, 12 year old sister Anna, who has now taken over his Topper boat, and he are all members of Elton Sailing Club in Bury, one of the longest established clubs in the North West. David was coached initially by member David Woodhead, himself a former national Scorpion champion, and the club has been outstandingly successful of late, contributing four out of nine female members of the 2005 Topper National Junior Squad: Emily Jackson (13), Charlotte Greenhalgh (13), Anna Brooks (15) and Julia Bowden (15).

“People don’t appreciate how hard these youngsters work, competing and training every weekend and maintaining a high level of fitness. Their parents are very supportive too and invest a great deal of money in equipment and coaching,” says Dave Cockerill, whose company Sailing Solutions also supplies David Carpenter’s sails. “Don’t forget either that this is one sport where Great Britain really excels, so young sailors like David really are among the world’s best in their age group.”

Further enquiries to:

HMG Paints
Riverside Works
Collyhurst Road
Manchester
M40 7RU
Telephone 0161 205 7631
email sales@hmgpaint.com

Press Contact:

David Gent Creative
Tel 01706 220388
Fax 01706 215849
email david@davidgent.com

Client Contact:

Alison Patterson
Tel 0161 205 7631
email apatterson@hmgpaint.com