Honesty pays for atlet
February 1st 2010 Pedigree Wholesale has switched to
Atlet warehouse trucks in a
combination of contract hire and
outright purchase at its main
distribution centre near Nottingham.
By aligning the make-up of the fleet
to its precise materials handling
requirements, the pet and aquatic
products supplier has reduced the
number of trucks required, increased
efficiency and cut downtime as well
as saving on its previous repair and
maintenance bill.
"If you're offering a service you have
to invest in the equipment to deliver
that service," says Darren Willetts,
group operations manager at
Pedigree Wholesale Midlands. "You
pay a bit more for Atlet up front but
it's what you get for the money that
matters.
"We always purchased our trucks but
the older ones were not always
looked after properly," adds Willetts.
"It was time for a change and when
we looked at suppliers we came
across Atlet. Its salesman was
excellent and very honest with us.
Everything I asked for was delivered."
Before selecting Atlet, Pedigree made
a thorough investigation of the
market. This included taking new
and old trucks through an on-site
evaluation to assess how they would
perform at the beginning and end of
their projected lifetimes.
"I am interested in where we are
going to be in five years," says
Willetts. "I need trucks that last and
do what the supplier says they will."
A fleet replacement programme was
proposed, starting in 2008. Because it
kept detailed records of truck
operations Pedigree Wholesale
realised that there was very little
difference between the monthly cost
of ownership for outright purchase
and contract hire. Putting the trucks
that are used intensively - order
pickers and powered pallet
transporters - onto contract hire
made economic and practical sense,
although larger trucks have been
purchased outright. More articles from Atlet Limited: | 
