Cumbernauld-based food manufacturer William Sword has signed a conquest deal with Fraikin for the supply of its entire commercial vehicle fleet.
After a competitive tender process involving three providers, Fraikin’s ability to efficiently manage the ownership, financing, compliance and maintenance of a new seven-strong fleet saw them chosen for the four-year, full-service contract hire agreement.
The deal comprises six new refrigerated 3.5-tonne Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans and one refrigerated 7.2-tonne Iveco Daily, each supplied in William Sword livery. They will all carry out deliveries of ambient, chilled and frozen produce across Scotland and northern England.
Douglas Sword, Managing Director at William Sword, says: “We opted for Fraikin because they understood precisely what we required, tailoring an agreement that best suited our business. We know we can rely on them to keep our vehicles on the road when we need them, alleviating unnecessary pressures on our team and enabling us to focus on our core business.
“The full service deal also offers us the most cost-effective way of operating our fleet. Aside from fuel and vehicle insurance, our monthly vehicle operating costs are nailed down, so we know exactly how much to budget for the duration of the contract.”
The local Fraikin branch in Bellshill will carry out all safety inspections, servicing and tyre management of the new light commercials, as well as maintaining the Carrier Transicold Xarios refrigeration systems – all on a collection and delivery basis.
William Sword also has access to Fraikinview, the powerful web portal that allows customers to monitor the maintenance cycle of their vehicles. Fraikin’s full commitment to minimising downtime for the fleet will ensure William Sword will consistently meet its daily delivery targets.
Operating five days a week, each of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinters is on the road from early morning to mid-afternoon, while the added capacity of the larger Iveco Daily is utilised on an overnight route into the Scottish Highlands. Across the four year contract, each of the vehicles is expected to clock up 120,000 miles, all covered by Fraikin’s 24/7 roadside assistance.
The new assets represent like-for-like equivalents for the previous fleet, while offering improved performance, driver comfort and efficiency, as well as meeting the stringent Euro VI emissions standard.
The Sword family has owned and managed the business since 1894. Originally a small local bakery in Airdrie, William Sword now supplies an extensive range of bread, pastry, soup and meat products to retailers and food manufacturers across Scotland and northern England, all from its current base in North Lanarkshire.
ends
Notes to editor:
About Fraikin
Fraikin Ltd is part of the Fraikin Group , the largest commercial vehicle fleet services company in Europe, providing expert fleet management, contract hire and rental solutions to both the private and public sector. The Fraikin Group, established in France in 1944 by Gérard Fraikin, has operations in 16 countries, with more than 2,800 employees, 7,000 clients, 180 branches and a fleet of 60,000 vehicles. Its operations span Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and the UK. Since 2007 Fraikin has been owned by CVC Capital Partners , one of the world’s leading private equity and investment advisory firms.
For further press information please contact: Gary Baker at Garnett Keeler PR on 020 8647 4467 or by email to gary.baker@garnettkeeler.com
To access Fraikin’s online newsroom please visit http://news.cision.com/fraikin
FRA/060/17