Water cooler specialist Angel Springs has come up with a
refreshing solution to the challenge of keeping the promotional
messages displayed on its trucks bang up to date - with a little
help from bodybuilder Bevan Group.
The operator has just taken delivery of the first seven units
from an order for 15 new Isuzu 7.5-tonners with automatic
transmissions. All arrived via Angel Springs' long-term contract
hire partner Fraikin, and are fitted with Bevan's fast access
curtainslider bodies.
These are ideally suited to multi-drop applications because the
curtains are tensioned from front to back and have locks at both
ends, so drivers have no time-consuming straps and buckles to
contend with - to gain access they simply slide back the curtains,
concertina-fashion, in seconds.
In a 'first' for Bevan, the trucks also boast two-metre square
panels that are rear-mounted and interchangeable, and used to
publicise the latest marketing initiatives by Angel Springs.
Bevan is producing two of these aluminum-framed panels for each
vehicle - one is always on the truck, the other is held at its
production facility in Halesowen, West Midlands, by the
bodybuilder.
Every three months Angel Springs' marketeers relay their latest
artwork to Bevan Group's graphics specialists, who transfer it to
the panels. Technicians from Bevan's aftercare team then take the
new panels out to the Angel Springs locations at which the vehicles
are based, fit them and return to base with those they've
removed.
"My marketing colleagues originally wanted to change the vehicle
liveries on a regular basis," explains Angel Spings' National
Operations Director Kevin Matthews. "But I explained to them that
apart from the cost, I couldn't afford to take my vehicles off the
road for weeks at a time so the work could be done.
"This is a fantastic solution though, because the panels look
great and it takes no time at all to swop them over. It's also very
cost-effective - in fact, Bevan's production and associated costs
for this exercise are a good bit lower than I thought they would
be."
Angel Springs' first seven trucks are all based at its depot in
Tring, Hertfordshire; the remaining eight will operate from its
headquarters in Wolverhampton, and from Halifax.
Mr Matthews has worked within the logistics industry for the
last 30 years, and in the bottled water sector since 2000. He sits
on the Midlands Council of the Freight Transport Association as
well as being a member of the Institute of Logistics.
"So I have some history with sales specialist Martyn Reeves and
his colleagues at Bevan Group, and I know their vehicle bodies are
extremely well built and durable," he confirms.
Some of Angel Springs' new trucks replace older vehicles that
are being stood down but others represent a further extension to
the company's fleet of 60 trucks and vans, the vast majority of
which are 7.5-tonners.
"We're very busy right now and our depots are delivering record
volumes of water, so we need additional vehicles to meet the
demand," continues Mr Matthews.
Each new truck offers a payload of some 3.7 tonnes, sufficient
to carry 160 20-litres bottles stored on Angel Springs' bespoke
racking - for which Bevan Group has also devised a secure locking
system - as well as eight boxes of cups and a trolley.
"Our drivers make up to 45 'drops' per day and they love these
new trucks," adds Mr Matthews. "We've been successfully trialling a
couple of vehicles with auto 'boxes in London for a couple of years
and this is the first order we've placed subsequently for units
with two-pedal set-ups."
Angel Springs was founded in 2003, from an amalgamation of three
water companies, and is now the fastest growing water cooler
company in the UK.
Angel Springs has worked since its inception with Fraikin -the
latest 7.5-tonne Isuzus are the subject of six-year contract hire
deals under which each will average 35,000 miles a year.