From factory floors to forensic labs: Rod Brown, founder and director of Rod Brown Engineering, shares the story of how Stringo became the number one supplier of vehicle movers in the UK. The key to Stringo’s success, in this dedicated reseller’s opinion? A combination of product quality, listening to and adapting to customer needs, and building lasting personal relationships.
How did it all begin? Stringo and Rod Brown Engineering first joined forces in the mid-1990s. In those early days, Stringo’s models were mainly suited for vehicle movement in facilities like low volume production areas, such as test cells, as well as car dealership showrooms. However, the machines soon sparked interest from British car manufacturers, prompting Stringo to develop products adapted to more demanding environments.
“The arrival of the Stringo 450 truly opened up the UK market, as this machine could handle larger and heavier vehicles. This, in turn, led to further developments, such as the option to cater for 4x4 drive systems, as well as the ride-on platforms for longer movements. A key moment was when we received the first order from Rolls Royce Motor Company,” Rod Brown, founder and director of Rod Brown Engineering, recalls.
Customisation as the key to success
As the customer base grew, so did the need for customisation. Rod and his colleagues worked closely together with Stringo’s founder Göran Fahlén and his team to ensure they understood the challenges and requirements of each production facility, design studio, or testing lab.
“Various widths and lengths became available, which led to deck heights being lower for sports car production. This ability to meet the needs of individual customers has always been the driving force with Stringo,” Rod explains, and highlights a significant breakthrough.
“A special request came in from Land Rover’s emission testing laboratory at Gaydon. They needed a machine that could pick up all four wheels, instead of gripping just one wheel pair. This resulted in Stringo developing a whole new model in 2017, and the success of the concept led to the current range of Stringo 4WM machines available today.”
Reaching beyond the factory gates
Over the years, Stringo’s stronghold on the UK market has reached far beyond the factory gates of automotive manufacturers. Today, the versatile and reliable machines are used in vehicle storage facilities, car auctions, classic car museums, private collections—and even law enforcement:
“We’ve branched out into areas such as contractors removing illegally parked cars in London and other city areas, as well as the forensic test facilities of major police departments,” Rod proudly shares.
The key to Stringo’s success, he believes, is a combination of product quality and the personal relationships built over time. Rod Brown Engineering has always operated as more than just a sales agent. Their team provides servicing, Next Day call out service, technical advice, and hands-on support to ensure that every Stringo vehicle mover meets the user’s real-world needs.
“Looking forward to keeping Stringo at the top”
As Stringo celebrates forty years in business, the partnership with Rod Brown Engineering remains as strong as ever. With a long list of successful installations across the UK and Ireland, and a reputation for delivering solutions tailored to specific environments, the future looks just as promising as the past.
“All of us at Rod Brown Engineering are proud of our role in making Stringo the number one supplier of vehicle movers in the UK. We’re happy about our long-term involvement with Göran and the fantastic company he’s founded, and we look forward to keeping Stringo at the top,” Rod concludes.
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Want to learn more about the Stringo story? Don’t miss our article about the unlikely events leading up to the successful entry into Germany’s automotive industry.
