Home delivery specialist Breezemount has commissioned a new fleet of 95 rigid trucks, all of which will service a prestigious contract with IKEA.
The subject of a contract hire agreement with Burnt Tree Vehicle Rental, all are 7.5-tonners with the exceptions of seven 12-tonners.
The DAF chassis are being fitted with box bodies - most, including those for the larger vehicles, are being manufactured from lightweight, recyclable panels by leading dry freight bodybuilder Bevan Group, which is also installing their DEL tail-lifts and applying Breezemount's graphics.
Based in Daventry, Northamptonshire, Breezemount was founded in the mid 1990s with just four vehicles. It is now the UK and Ireland's leading provider of express two-man home delivery services.
The company began work on its IKEA contract last December and has since been relying on rented vehicles to deliver goods bought in stores and online to the homes of consumers throughout England and Ireland.
Burnt Tree Vehicle Rental, which has headquarters in Shrewsbury, was one of six providers invited to tender for the vehicle supply business.
Vicki Vallance, Breezemount's Commercial Fleet Manager, confirmed: "Burnt Tree's bid was excellent. Its Contract Hire Business Development Manager Tracey Cox and National Fleet Engineer Mike Bufton have provided outstanding customer service - they have been attentive and responsive, answering every question in great detail. The delivery timetable for our new vehicles is on schedule which, for a project of this scale and importance, is absolutely crucial."
Bodybuilder Bevan Group is playing a key role in ensuring that Burnt Tree meets its commitments to its new customer - Bevan's skilled technicians pulled out all the stops to produce the first 20 vehicles within just three weeks of the chassis arriving at its factory in Halesowen, West Midlands, from dealer Greenhous DAF.
Although Bevan has produced box and curtainside bodies for Burnt Tree Vehicle Rental previously, this is the first time it has built for Breezemount. However, prior to taking up her current role last year Vicki Vallance worked for another of Bevan's customers.
"If there's one commercial vehicle bodybuilder that I know I can trust, it's Bevan Group," she confirmed. "They manufacture premium quality products and are always one step ahead of the game when it comes to maximising payload.
"What's more, they have never let me down when it comes to delivery deadlines. Anthony Bevan (Managing Director) and his colleagues will only accept an order if they know they can complete the job on time - I value that kind of honesty very highly."
Burnt Tree Vehicle Rental's Tracey Cox added: "Contracts like this come along once in a blue moon. The tendering process allowed us clearly to show we could meet Breezemount's service levels, while also giving us the opportunity to demonstrate how we at Burnt Tree could use our own expertise, and that of suppliers like Bevan Group, to enhance their transport operation."