E&P Hydraulics have a long history of engineering excellence. Borne out of an idea about helping people overcome a cumbersome process with some (on-the-face-of-it) simple technology, the hydraulic levelling system was developed. And, even since the first product was launched in 2004, there have been lots of product developments and evolutions to give E&P their reputation for quality and excellence. All the designing and engineering is done in house, in our Dutch head office by a team of passionate experts.
With this in mind, we wanted to demonstrate some of the things that we do on a day-to-day basis that make us the best levelling system for your motorhome or caravan.
1. "Nearly" isn't enough
Our knowledge of the different chassis, both in the caravan and motorhome markets, is verging on nerdy. Rather than taking a levelling product and making it fit to a chassis, we take a chassis and design the levelling product to fit perfectly, through collaboration with the vehicle manufacturer. It’s completely customised to each chassis and thoroughly tested; not reverse engineered to fit during the installation. We actually purchase each chassis available on the European market and have it in our development lab for working with. This gives us the benefit of being to make a product that isn’t going to be damaged by, or cause damage to, the chassis frame. So it’s a double win for product quality.
2. Stress testing to destruction
When we say we test our products, we mean we test them. And then we test them some more until they break. Our goal is actually to break the products so we can work out their weaknesses and fix the problem before it goes to market. This is called Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and gives us reassurance that we’re sending the best product to our customers, and something they can rely on whilst they are on holiday. The last thing we want our customers to experience is a system failure in a remote part of the Hebrides when they are the furthest away from home. So with some expert deep analytical undertakings, we are more than confident in the durability and quality of our levelling systems.
3. OEM relationships
OEMs are the Original Equipment Manufacturers and by this, we mean the caravan and motorhome manufacturers. We supply our levelling systems directly to a number of OEMs (LINK) who trust us to provide a system worthy of their top-spec models. We’re understandably proud of this position but it also gives us a standard to aim for. We work closely with the OEMs and value the relationship we’ve built with them over the years. They give us really useful feedback and ensure we manufacture our products to their exacting specifications. Many product development features come through our close workings with the OEMs and E&P wouldn’t be where we are today without their invaluable input.
4. Certificated products
E&P put so much development and testing into our products that we are keen to ensure this gets recognised by the wider automotive industry as well as the leisure market OEMs. Because of the effort and level of design that goes into each system for each chassis, we are keen to get this recognised and certified by the base-vehicle manufacturers. This is quite a lengthy and expensive process which understandably comes with a lot of further testing to be done by those manufacturers and once the process is complete, we receive our stamp. With all the testing that we put into our engineering processes, we are more than confident in the products and by going through this process, we can demonstrate that the vehicle manufacturers are also confident that our product works in harmony with their vehicle.
5. Service standards
Customer service is important to E&P. This is why we’ve got a close network of approved Partners who go through a rigorous onboarding process and have to maintain high standards. They become part of our family. We don’t let just anyone install our products as we have to be confident they are going to do a good job with our product and with your vehicle.
We are also able to supply spare parts nationwide with a 24-hour delivery promise. Our Partners are spread out across the country to give the best possible coverage for our customers, meaning you don’t have to travel miles to have your system serviced.
It has taken a few years, but E&P is proud of its reputation for producing the best hydraulic levelling systems, for you to enjoy. We haven't gotten there by chance, but through consistent engineering development and customer-focused hard work. Where E&P lead, others follow.
