MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
Iver-based haulage company European UK Road Operations has taken delivery of a brand-new built-to-order curtainside trailer from Schmitz Cargobull – just hours after signing on the dotted line.
Managing Director Paul Bedwell faced a dilemma of needing a new tri-axle curtainsider at a moment’s notice, and telephoned Schmitz Cargobull’s local Area Sales Manager, Craig Kedda, to enquire about lead times.
“When Craig said he could build me a trailer within 24 hours I was blown away,” says Bedwell. “He solved my predicament in an instant. What’s more, the price was competitive, so I didn’t even bother ringing anyone else.”
Bedwell placed the order and completed the paperwork with Schmitz Cargobull on a Friday, before despatching a two-man crew on the Sunday night to collect the trailer. They arrived at the factory in Altenberge, Germany, on Monday morning, and then headed straight to Amsterdam to pick-up an important load.
He adds: “You know what you’re getting with a Schmitz Cargobull trailer. They’ve got a great reputation for being robust and reliable, plus you’ve got the reassurance of access to a whole network of service locations across Europe.”
Schmitz Cargobull’s Altenberge facility has the capacity to build up to 200 curtainsider trailers per day – giving the company significant scope for speedy deliveries and the ability to react to even large orders quickly. Altenberge is one of nine manufacturing sites in Europe alone.
Kedda explains: “We don’t build trailers for stock, but if a customer wants a standard specification trailer, we can normally build these in a matter of days, sometimes even hours.
“This puts us in a very strong position, particularly when so many UK trailer manufacturers are quoting several months to fulfil new orders.”
The new curtainsider is being used by European UK Road Operations primarily on exhibitions, television and film set work. It typically operates at gross train weights of between 24 and 38 tonnes, and is expected to remain on the fleet for up to 10 years.
It has been specified with plain grey curtains, adding a level of discretion which Bedwell says is preferred by many of his customers. Its sliding-roof also affords the flexibility of being able to load through the roof – a useful feature for a trailer which will spend a lot of its time on the Continent.
