Cheshire-based trailer manufacturer Cartwright will open two more sites in the East of the UK in the next six months to meet growing demand in the rental market.
Cartwright Rentals already has three sites in Altrincham, Avonmouth and Northampton, and has a pool of 8,000 trailers. The two new sites, one in the London area and the second serving the North-East, will offer approximately 800 trailers, potentially expanding the fleet by 10%.
Director Steven Cartwright believes the rental market will only go one way in 2010, as it reflects the changing nature of the logistics industry. "The large logistics operators aren't getting the commitment from their customers; on a 12-month contract, they aren't going to spend money on a trailer for that," he says. "£80-a-week makes it an easy decision [to rent], particularly against £20,000 for a [new] trailer."
Operators turning to rental has inevitably had an impact on new sales, but equally, the hire operation has provided sales leads. "It has brought about new sales, some customers didn't buy last year; but we have picked up four or five new customers with new trailer enquires through [initially] offering rental," he says.
The double-deck rental market is arguably the biggest growth area. Cartwright Rental runs 300 through its rental arm, with utilisation at 95% .
Stephen Cartwright says the company will expand its fleet by up to 15% this year as rolling stock comes off lease and Cartwright Finance deals this year.