Truck supplier in £3m Faccenda deal
A TRUCK supplier in Shrewsbury has landed a £3 million contract to supply lorries to one of Shropshire's biggest employers.
National chicken processing business Faccenda Foods is replacing all 29 of the delivery trucks based at its main processing plant in Telford, to help meet increasing demand from supermarkets.
It has now handed the contract to supply the vehicles to fast-growing leasing and contract hire specialist Indelease, which is based in Battlefield Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury, which will supply the lorries in a five-year deal worth more than £3 million.
Ian Ashley, head of transport at Faccenda Foods, said: "Our logistics operation is growing all the time and we're keen to ensure it's both fit for purpose and ready to meet the future demands of our expanding business.
"This is a deal which enables us to replace some older trucks and add others to create a modern, safe, fuel-efficient fleet.
"It gives us full control of our entire distribution process and means we'll no longer use periodic rental or spot hire to meet peaks in demand."
The contract, which includes both fleet management and maintenance, is a first for Faccenda – one of the largest food businesses in the UK.
The company has a turnover of more than £500 million and employs more than 3,500 nationwide, and has recently added to its Telford team to take its head count in the county to around 1,100 people.
Indelease provides a range of contract hire and finance services for commercial vehicles.
The company has enjoyed significant growth since it was launched in 2009, doubling both fleet size and the fleet management element of the business over the last 18 months.
Managing director Juliet Smith said: "Faccenda is a huge company that operates throughout the UK so we are delighted to have won the deal to supply and maintain their new trucks.
"It's a very significant deal for us and great testament to our credibility that such a highly respected business has such confidence in us.
"We're a very ambitious company and are investing heavily in our future."
Mr Ashley added: "We do have a previous relationship with Indelease, but this is the first time they've won our business to supply trucks. They came up with the right deal at the right price and a service agreement that meets our requirement perfectly.
"They've jumped through hoops for us to get this right and I'm confident it's the best possible deal."
The first of the Volvo FM 6x2 Globetrotter tractor units was delivered to Faccenda's 100,000 sq ft plant in Hortonwood Industrial Estate this week with the remainder to follow before the end of the month.
Faccenda's factory in Telford has been the subject of significant growth recently, with a third line recently installed to increase capacity.
The company can process up to 1.5 million chickens a week for its range of customers, which includes big-name supermarkets.
