Keeping your business’s equipment clean, tidy, in great condition can be a big task for any company.  But when your equipment is 2.5 metres wide, 4 metres tall, 16.5 metres long and weighs 30,000 kgs that task is not only more tricky but absolutely essential for health and safety reasons. XPRESSION Logistics pride themselves on the upkeep of all assets, to ensure high standards are met.  Being the preferred servicing supplier in the UK for Rolfo gave the company the capability to service all trucks and trailers. “Managing something like this doesn’t just mean servicing and hydraulics checks every 8 weeks, but ensuring the vehicle is pristine inside and out before and after every delivery” said Jonathan Hill, XPRESSION Logistics MD “the UK Government, quite rightly, has strict regulations with regard to the safety of haulage and we do our best to exceed those for our customers”. 

There lies another mammoth task. In order to keep all assets to the highest standard the recruitment of the correctly trained staff is essential, and finding Truck Technicians a challenge.  “We are always in the market for great, highly experienced Truck Technicians” said Mr Hill “they are the backbone to the success of the company and we look after them, as we do all of our team”.  

For more information please email jonathan@xpressionlogistics.co.uk or call directly on 01869 233324

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Opinion from Jonathan Hill

Cities across the country are following the lead of the Mayor of London, and ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions Zone), by implementing their own measures to reduce carbon produced by combustion engines.  
 
Xpression are based just outside Oxford, where Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council have introduced a zero emission zone (ZEZ) to improve air quality, cut carbon emissions and move towards zero emission travel in the city.  The ZEZ is an area of Oxford where zero emission vehicles such as fully electric motor cycles, bicycles, cars and vans can be used without incurring charge but where others may be charged – including hybrids.  
 
Jonathan Hill, MD of Xpression Logistics said “we are investigating a number of ideas to reduce costs for our customers who need to deliver or collect goods from inner-cities, finding ways to minimise the daily fees incurred by combustion engines, whilst cutting carbon”.   There are a number of ideas they are investigating but the most obvious was for the business to invest in electric vehicles (including electric vans) to add to their electric car fleet.  “We have already worked on a number of carbon-reducing ideas such as running all diesel generators on carbon-offset fuel with which we also intend to run two vehicles on the logistics fleet” said Mr Hill. 
 
Xpression have for many years had a close relationship with Volkswagen and therefore their first instinct was to research (and then purchase) a Buzz.  Mr Hill said “the initial opinion of the drivers what sceptical, but as each of them has the opportunity to test drive the Buzz and use it to make deliveries, their minds are quickly changed”.   EV technology has improved dramatically over the years and the Buzz is proving to be able to do nearly 300 miles on a full battery, charge quickly, have plenty of space to carry customers’ goods and (importantly to the team) is exceptionally comfortable to drive.  
 
“We took the Buzz to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone this year and it was ideal, as well as attracting a lot of attention”.   Mr Hill added  “I am not concerned about the future of logistics in an EV world, every problem is an opportunity and this company is looking forward to managing those opportunities going forward”
 
For more information please email Jonathan@xpressionevents.co.uk or call 01869 232234

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Marketing distribution specialist mda has been acquired by European logistics business Staci for an undisclosed sum. Staci says the acquisition creates the first pan-European marketing logistics business for brands and retailers.

Creating, storing, distributing and activating point of sale and marketing materials for the world’s biggest brands including Heineken, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Diageo and Mercedes-Benz, mda, which recently celebrated 30 years of business, becomes part of a £250m Europe-wide fulfilment group with operations across France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland, BeNeLux and now the UK.

Wayne Chapman, mda Managing Director, says: “This is genuinely fantastic news for our clients and teams and we’re extremely excited about the years ahead. We’ve operated from the UK for 30 years, but in the last 24 months we’ve seen clients’ desire to operate facilities in multiple European territories under a single contract significantly increase.”

Mda, which currently has turnover of £5m a year, has 350 employees at five fulfilment centres across the UK.

Staci is the European leader in the B2B retail logistics segment for a large group of networks: retail, GMS and GSS, oil companies, agribusiness, hotel and restaurant chains, banks, insurance companies, operators telephone companies, car manufacturers, the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry and the public sector.

Prior to the mda acquisition, Staci had 35 sites in Germany, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands with a workforce of 1,550 employees.

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