A clutch of five Mercedes-Benz tractor units have become the first in construction materials supplier Hanson’s cement fleet to wear the company’s white and blue livery.
The rebranding follows a decision by Hanson to merge its Castle Cement and Civil and Marine slag cement businesses into a new division, Hanson Cement, and phase out trucks in the red and white colours of Castle or the blue of Civil and Marine.
Andrew Bridge, Distribution Director at Hanson Cement, explains: “There were obvious synergies to bringing the two powder businesses together and creating a single operating unit, and this process was completed earlier this year.
“The new livery is clean and simple, but at the same time eye-catching, and the early feedback from customers and others who have seen our latest Mercedes on the road has all been very positive.”
Supplied by Peterborough dealer Intercounty Truck & Van, the new trucks are all high-roofed 6×2 Axor 2543 models.
Hanson Cement operates a fleet of 170 articulated tractors, most of which pull powder tank trailers at the maximum 44 tonnes gcw. These vehicles work from four distribution sites and three production facilities – at Padeswood in Mold, north Wales; at Ribblesdale in Clitheroe, Lancashire; and at Ketton, in Stamford, Lincolnshire – all of which boast industry-leading environmental performance with the lowest levels of CO2 emissions.
In addition to bulk cements, Hanson Cement offers an extensive range of packaged products, including cements, concretes, mortars and limes, and GGBS (ground granulated blast furnace slag), a by-product of the steel manufacturing process used in the manufacture of concrete.
Mercedes-Benz commands an 80 per cent share of the Hanson Cement fleet – it is the operator’s policy, under its four- yearly replacement cycle, to allocate the remaining 20 per cent of its new vehicle orders to a second brand.
Bridge continues: “We favour Mercedes trucks because they are outstandingly fuel-efficient, an attribute that translates into reduced emissions; our latest Axor, for example, are always fully freighted but returning an impressive average of 8.25mpg.
“They are also very reliable, which means we are consistently achieving our goal of 95 per cent ‘uptime’ across the fleet. And although we maintain our trucks in house, the support we get both from Mercedes-Benz UK and its dealer Intercounty Truck & Van is first class too.”
Like the rest of the construction industry Hanson Cement has been hit by the effects of the recession, but Bridge now feels able to strike a note of cautious optimism.
“It’s certainly been a difficult trading period but the market appears finally to have stabilised in terms of volumes,” he says. “We have restructured the business and are now a lot leaner. But we’ve also retained our infrastructure, so that when the market picks up again we’ll be well placed to take advantage by servicing the increasing demand.”
