A&R Vehicle Services new appointment

Gary Lay has joined A&R Vehicle Services as managing director, 40 years after he began his career as an apprentice truck technician.

A&R Vehicle Services is a supplier to many of the UK’s operators of trucks, trailers, buses and vans. Its six-acre site in Darlaston has a 40,000sqft of workshop space – including a recycled shot blast bay, specialist chassis straightening equipment, paint preparation booths and three low bake ovens – plus a fully-stocked parts store.

Gary spent the previous six years on the board of DX (Group) plc, as its support services director.

His career also included a 20-year stint with Swift Transport Services, and others with Tibbett & Britten, Excel Logistics, NYK Logistics, and Yaxley Coachworks, in Peterborough. Gary brings a broad range of experience to his new position with A&R Vehicle Services – in addition to his operational roles, he has also had direct responsibilities for everything from procurement and property services, to insurance.

Gary is relishing the challenge of his job and is determined to make the most of the opportunity. ‘Fundamentally, A&R is a great business,’ he stated. ‘We have the backing of a financially strong and supportive parent in the Bevan Group, and we’re ideally located at the heart of the country, close to motorway links.’

A&R Vehicle Services provides employment for 58 colleagues, who work in a variety of operational and administrative roles. Gary has already begun implementing new work regimes to minimise ‘bottlenecks’ and introduce efficiencies.