Union City Body Co. Reorganizes

UNION CITY, IN — Union City Body Company (UCBC), a 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. UCBC has been in business since 1898 and is one of the leading providers of walk-in truck bodies. It 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. (PCI), 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. In addition, with PCI and GVW Holdings, we have some excellent resources to draw upon in providing responsive trucking solutions,” said van der Merwe. GWV Holdings is the parent company for both UCBC and Workhorse Custom Chassis, the latter a manufacturer of walk-in truck chassis. 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. Union City Body Company's new president, Erick van der Merwe, has recently completed a company restructuring designed to refocus on core competencies and provide an unprecedented customer experience, from sales to after-sales service.