Ambulance

Focus on Cartwright Conversions
“I want Cartwright’s to be the first place everyone
thinks of to buy or hire PTS and A&E vehicles.”
Ambulance Today’s Assistant Editor Joe Smith visited Cartwright’s new Doncaster site
recently to meet their new Commercial and Operations Director, Steve Shaw,
and discuss his plans to corner the market in Patient Transport Service vehicles:
Steve Shaw
Cartwright’s new
Commercial &
Operations Director
Known for his easy-going but direct manner,
Steve Shaw didn’t waste any time in outlining
his vision for Cartwright’s as they move forward
from their Doncaster build facility. “I want us
to develop into the main supplier of each of
the types of conversions we produce, be it PTS,
A&E or welfare. Whatever the customer wants
I want their first thought to be: ‘Cartwright’s.’”
When it comes to bespoke conversion
vehicles, there’s no bigger name in the
industry than Cartwright’s. For 60 years,
the British manufacturer has been turning
out quality specialised HGVs, so its recent
move into A&E, PTS and other specialist
ambulance vehicles was, by any measure, a
logical move, and, after only five years in the
UK ambulance market it’s already supplying
fleet to some of the country’s biggest
ambulance providers including London
Ambulance. Now, under the guidance of its
ambitious new Commercial and Operations
Director, Steve Shaw, Cartwright’s is ready
to corner the market in Patient Transport
Service (PTS) Vehicles. So when I travelled
out to the company’s new Doncaster site
to see some of the new PTS conversions
first-hand and speak to Steve and the staff
my expectations were, unsurprisingly, already
high.
On arrival, I immediately felt a buzz about
the place. Based in rural Doncaster, the new
site opened for operations back in March
and is now alive with activity. The 36,000
square-foot factory floor is supported by a
large storeroom, linking offices, a boardroom
and an impressive workspace for the on-site
coach builders and electricians. Steve was
right; there was a real sense of excitement
and purpose amongst the staff. Thanks to
Cartwright’s long-standing reputation and
status, they seem to have had no problem
in quickly assembling a team of some of the
best vehicle-builders in the business. Anyone
in the ambulance build industry knows
that it’s a small world and many of the staff
had worked together before at various
companies.
Paul Wilson, General Manager
General Manager, Paul Wilson joined the
team in July: “That’s one of the reasons
that made me come – because I knew the
quality of people who I’d worked with in the
past. There’s a good team here which is a
massive plus.”
Winter 2016 | Ambulancetoday
Winter 2014 | Ambulancetoday3 15 13