Press Release
Commonwealth Connections
When the UK joined the European Union we were told of how it would open up trading avenues within Europe. Others saw the UK as a doorway to the Commonwealth markets. A combination of those concepts has resulted in the sale of the first right hand drive Binz hearse to Sri-Lanka.
Based just outside the capital Colombo, Boralesgamuwa Florists are second-generation funeral directors, who cater to the wide mix of faiths found over the island, which encompass Buddhist, Tamil and Christian rites, amongst others.
The traditional Sri Lankan funeral vehicle is an adapted American station wagon – often a Chevrolet. Boralesgamuwa however, wanted something a little different, and with a touch of class to lend additional dignity to the services they offer. Their decision was to order what is probably the first Mercedes-Benz based hearse to be seen in this part of the globe from Binz UK.
For Binz at Reading, the process all started with an email received around April 2005. Marketing director Roberta Smith remembers the five-seat hearse enquiry coming in: "Because we are a family firm and used to dealing with like-sized businesses, we were aware of their concerns over investing in a vehicle like this. So we took great care to keep up the contact with them at every stage, including organising a logistics company to containerise the vehicle for shipping, and - even going so far as to send over two of our staff to ensure that everything went smoothly on delivery at Colombo". All attention to detail that Boralesgamuwa later admitted was pivotal to their choosing Binz UK as a partner.
Since all Binz vehicles come with upgraded air conditioning as standard, they are designed to cope with middle-Eastern temperatures. And as Sri Lanka, like the British Isles and Eire, drives on the right, the steering wheel already comes on the correct side from the factory.
On arrival, the Binz hearse became something of an overnight celebrity, with a crowd of over 50 people immediately gathering around the opened container as the vehicle was unloaded at the docks. Roberta Smith recalling that, "Speaking through an interpreter, N.G Nihal Senarath Perera, proprietor of Boralesgamuwa Florists, told us how proud he was to see his Binz hearse for the first time – and to hear that, made all the work we put in for them worthwhile".
The actual handover of the vehicle went like clockwork. It literally was a case of merely filling up with fuel and driving away from the port. Proof, if proof were needed, of the reliability of Mercedes-Benz technology, and of the thoroughness of the pre-delivery procedures Binz UK took back at Reading.
Boralesgamuwa had not left things entirely to chance at their end either, for the Binz team was taken to meet the Buddhist monk Mr. Perera had asked pray that everything concerned with this order would go smoothly.
Mercedes-Benz is already well represented in Sri Lanka. Indeed, one of the first ports of call for the Binz team was to main dealer Dimo, in Colombo, the only service centre on the island equipped with the STAR Diagnosis system used to support the E-Class electronics. Binz, having full Mercedes-Benz engineering approval, inclusive of the vehicle software, means that any authorised dealership can undertake fault-finding and warranty work – even as here, when it is half-way around the world away.
In the case of Binz-specific components – body panels and interior fittings – these will be shipped as and if required direct to Dimo for fitting to Boralesgamuwa’s hearse. Mercedes-Benz in any case has a distribution centre in Singapore, so E-Class parts support is not an issue.
