News

Trailer maker Krone is pushing its multi-modal swap-body in the UK because it believes there is a growing appetite in the logistics industry to make a switch to rail freight.

The firm, which recently moved its UK sales and marketing office to a new site at Micklefield near Leeds, West Yorks, says that as Europe's  largest manufacturer of intermodal swap-bodies it has already seen success of the bodies in Continental Europe.

Fran Pickering, UK managing director, says: "We definitely see a swing in the UK to road and rail operation. I think it will definitely take off - people are looking at different ways of moving equipment."

Pickering adds that the majority of intermodal operators on the Continent use swap-bodies and are increasingly looking to standardise their equipment throughput Europe.

Krone has already had one serious enquiry into the bodies from a UK logistics operator and is hopeful of taking this further.

"We have been doing this for a long, long time in Germany so we are not starting from scatch," says Pickering. "We see it as an opportunity to bring our expertise to the market."

The new Micklefield site - shared with its agricultural 'green' operation - means the company is now more centrally located than it was at its previous UK HQ at Immingham.

The Immingham site has been retained as Krone's import centre and main parts warehouse, backed up by a network of 40 UK agents.