Award-winning Apollo Foods has launched the latest additions to its all-Mercedes-Benz fleet - four New Actros 18-tonners with narrow StreamSpace cabs.
Crowned Business of the Year at the Scottish Asian Business Awards 2013, Apollo Foods operates from the Nitshill Industrial Estate on the South Side of Glasgow.
It supplies a wide range of chilled, frozen and ambient products to caterers, restaurants and fast food outlets, as far north as Aberdeen, and south to Dumfries. Customers benefit from a next-day delivery service for orders placed before midnight.
The company's new trucks arrived via long-standing supplier Western Commercial, which represents the three-pointed star in Scotland's Central Belt, and are the subject of seven-year Mercedes-Benz Repair and Maintenance Contracts.
All are New Actros 1842 models with state-of-the-art 310 kW (421 hp) straight-six engines mated to smooth-changing, 12-speed Mercedes PowerShift 3 automated transmissions.
The aerodynamic StreamSpace cab is also available at 2.5m width, but Apollo Foods chose the 2.3m version as it offers enhanced manoeuvrability for multi-drop deliveries in urban areas, while retaining a high degree of driver comfort.
The trucks' insulated, multi-temperature bodies are by Tekbo, of Glasgow, and feature dual compartments with movable bulkheads for maximum operational efficiency. The bodies are fitted with central locking systems and internal and external cameras, allowing the operator to guarantee load security and integrity.
Apollo Foods began trading in the late 1990s with three Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans - one was driven by proprietor Saeed Mohammed, a second by his brother Ashraf Mohammed, and the third by Kamran Bashir.
Today, as Fleet Manager, Mr Bashir is responsible for 11 rigid trucks ranging in size from 26 to 7.5 tonnes gvw, as well as three Sprinters. The four New Actros represent additions to the fleet, having been commissioned to enable the company to meet growing demand for its products.
"We were a driver short last week so I took one of the New Actros out myself and was very impressed," recalls Kamran Bashir. "Mercedes-Benz has done a great job with this truck. The previous model was good but the latest one is a lot better in terms of cab comfort and I particularly like the new transmission, which is much smoother."
He continues: "Our Mercedes-Benz vehicles have always been highly reliable, cost-effective to operate and popular with the drivers, which explains why we've remained loyal to the brand.
"We also have a great relationship with Western Commercial - the workshop team at its Govan depot inspect and service our vehicles outside normal working hours so they're always available for work when we need them."