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Trumac, formerly GRP Westbury, has seen its revenue almost double to £7.5m since its management buy-out in 2003.

The growing success has led the Westbury, Wilts-based bodybuilder to invest £500,000 in its facility, including £300,000 in a panel press department to enable it to produce its own panels for refrigerated bodies.

"Historically Trumac has always outsourced its panels, however this new investment will allow us to be 100% self-sufficient as the two new presses have the  capacity to meet all our current output requirements," says MD Jarvis MacDonald.

He explains that not having to rely on outside suppliers means the company is no longer affected by fluctuating prices and lead times.

Trumac produces more than a dozen refrigerated vans and rigid trucks per week, all to ATP standards. MacDonald tells MT that very few UK bodybuilders work to such a high standard, and wishes the UK government would fall in line with most of Europe and make the ATP acreditation mandatory.

He believes such a move would '"get rid of the crooks who just slap on a body and cause a danger". He says that of the UKs 25 refrigerated van converters, only three or four work to a comparably high level.

In his opinion just seven or eight would be capable of meeting ATP if they tried.