Howard Tenens has invested in seven new double-deck trailers with moving floors and aerodynamic roofs for its Birstall, West Yorks-based Petcare contract.
The project was initiated by Petcare's parent company Mars, which set up a feasibility study to determine if the trailers could provide both greater operating efficiency and be more environmentally friendly.
Howard Tenens and Mars consulted with trailer builder Cartwright
to design a flexible-use prototype able to accommodate other products, therefore reducing empty backloading. The trailers also include load-restraint equipment compliant with the stringent requirements of supermarket RDCs.
The design initiative is claimed to save Mars-contracted vehicles 286 trips across 32,678 miles, equating to more than 18,000 litres of fuel and 50 tonnes of CO2 a year. The decision to fit Cartwright's Cheetah GS curved roof was based on fuel savings of 13% achieved by other customers.
Howard Tenens contract manager Alex Bayne says: "We were delighted to be able to deliver this complex project within 12 months to everyone's benefit."
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