Apr 4, 2005 11:11 AM

Union City Body Company, a leading supplier of walk-in truck bodies, has recently completed a company restructuring designed to “refocus on core competencies and provide an unprecedented customer experience, from sales to after-sales service,” said its new president, Erick van der Merwe.

Appointed to his post February 15, van der Merwe said, “UCBC is committed to remaining a significant provider of walk-in truck bodies. This restructuring is all focused on giving our customers the best product options and best service for their particular needs. We want to be the company that gives walk-in users the best value for their money.”

UCBC, founded in 1898, serves a wide range of vocations, such as parcel delivery, baking and snack foods, laundry/linens, vending, utilities and contractors, including such major fleets as UPS, FedEx, Frito Lay and ARAMARK.

Last fall, UCBC sold its manufacturing operation to Productive Concepts, Inc., another Union City-based company. PCI now provides contract manufacturing services to UCBC. UCBC continues to design, engineer, sell and service walk-in truck bodies.

“All of UCBC’s time-honored expertise with different vocational needs remains,” said van der Merwe. “But we have refocused that expertise to better serve our customers. We will have account experts for each vocational use, for example.”

Prior to his appointment as UCBC president, van der Merwe served as vice president of finance for GVW Holdings and as chief financial officer for Workhorse Custom Chassis. He has also worked for Mercedes Benz of South Africa. He has a master’s degree in finance and is a certified accountant. He received his training in financial management from Coopers & Lybrand. He also holds a marketing degree.

In addition to his UCBC position, van der Merwe serves as general manager of GVW Services, which provides Information Technology services and develops e-commerce opportunities.

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