£5m, 400 unit deal signed

Briggs Equipment has signed a £5 million contract to supply nearly 400 trucks and other materials handling equipment to builders' merchant Travis Perkins.

The new flexible-hire contract is the latest development in a long-standing relationship.

Briggs has supplied a wide range of counterbalance and reach trucks, as well as low level order pickers and other smaller handling products. Another key element is the replacement of 250 trucks with the latest vehicles from Brigg's partner, Yale Materials Handling.

“The Yale trucks are state-of-the-art, providing improved safety, comfort and reliability,” explained Briggs' account manager Leigh Edgley. “We supplied Travis Perkins with a bespoke solution and recommended a move from LPG 2.5 tonne to Electric 2 tonne machines to help reduce fuel costs and improve efficiency.”

As part of the deal, Briggs has also agreed on a partnership with a leading battery manufacturer to supply the most innovative batteries and chargers which can be over 30 per cent more efficient than traditional battery charging systems.

Further savings and environmental improvements have been made with the conversion of 58 trucks from LPG to electric power. Briggs' award winning Speedshield system -an operator management tool that allows paperless pre-shift daily checks and monitors operator utilisation and safety was also deployed.

Nick Wilson, Travis Perkins' GM - Brackmills Stores, comments: “With over 2,600 pallets that need to be picked and moved daily, our operation needs to run as efficiently as possible to meet demand.”

The Yale trucks come with a full service and maintenance package and operate across eight of Travis Perkins' UK distribution centres with the majority at its primary facility in Northampton.

Added Leigh: “Our relationship with Travis Perkins stretches back more than 14 years and we are obviously delighted at this latest agreement that provides them with maximum flexibility in an uncertain economic environment.”