Things are happening in Denmark –

A new generation of vehicles for Ambulance Syd

As is customary with public sector projects, the process in Denmark also began with a tender. Together with our partner, Mercedes-Benz P. Christensen, we were able to make a convincing case and were awarded the contract. That was the first step, but tenders merely set out the formal framework; ultimately, interpersonal factors – amongst other things – determine whether a tender process leads to a sustainable partnership. Today, we can say that this has been a great success in the South Denmark region. The partnership between Mercedes-Benz P. Christensen and Ambulance Syd formed the foundation for this success. Klaus Kjær has been Head of Procurement in the vehicle business at Mercedes-Benz P. Christensen for 17 years. A strong practical focus is second nature to him – shaped by his previous roles as a car mechanic, an aeronautical engineer with the Royal Danish Air Force and a product manager in industry. On the client side, Jens Roed, as Head of Vehicles and Materials at Ambulance Syd, is responsible for vehicles, materials and planning. His career path has also been hands-on: electrician, firefighter, paramedic – including two years on helicopter duty – before moving into organisational management. Both are familiar with the day-to-day operations. Both know that an ambulance is more than the sum of its technical components. So when the time came in 2022 to procure a new generation of larger vehicles, it was clear from the outset that they wanted more than just the fulfilment of criteria. The process began with open discussions. What had been the experience with the previous generation of vehicles? What had proved its worth, and where was there room for improvement? Philipp Deters, acting as project manager on behalf of WAS, translated the requirements into drawings and revised them until a coherent overall picture emerged. “The problem with tenders is often this: if we spell out every last detail, there’s no room for manoeuvre. If we don’t include it, we might not get it in the end. That’s why it’s good when partners like WAS and P. Christensen come up with their own ideas on how we can make the ambulance even better,” says Jens Roed, describing the challenge from the customer’s perspective.

The new generation of vehicles is based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 417 panel van. This concept has been well established in Denmark for years. However, it was not the base vehicle alone that was decisive, but its thorough adaptation to the users’ needs. The focus was on the ergonomics of the workstation. All relevant equipment must be within easy reach from the paramedic’s seat. At the same time, it was essential to design the storage space to be robust and durable, as smaller components in particular had been subjected to high levels of stress in the past. Together, we developed an interior fit-out that combines tried-and-tested WAS solutions with customer-specific adaptations. Intuitive control systems, a modular interior layout and clearly structured storage concepts form the technical foundation. What began as a set of specifications was refined through dialogue.