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A good rapport
Page 128
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The Cornish Brewery in Redruth has brewing connections dating back almost two centuries. Despite supplying ale to the Oldham locals at the Moss Inn, next door to Seddon Atkinson's factory however, its relationship with the truck manufacturer only goes back 12 months. Not a long time but long enough for distribution
manager Derek Payne to insist the two firms have developed a "special rapport". Seddon Atkinson and the Cornish Brewery joined forces last
year when the brewery decided to test different HGVs for its fleet. It took 11 different vehicles, a multitude of fuel and driving tests and more than three months before Derek Payne (below right) and his team at the Cornish Brewery finally plumped for a Seddon Atkinson.
"You could tell they had a down-to-earth attitude right from the start," says Payne. "Their dealer network allowed us to borrow a vehicle for a fortnight when most manufacturers would only lend us a truck for a maximum of three days."
This policy obviously worked for Seddon Atkinson because Payne admits at first his drivers "were not happy with the Eaton Twin Splitter gearbox". It took the drivers a week to get used to the different gear system. But after that week "the drivers said it made driving a truck feel like driving a Rolls Royce", he says. "They began to refuse to drive anything else."
It was this driver enthusiasm which finally won the order for the Oldham truck manufacturer: The drivers are very important to the team at the brewery — even come in to work on Sundays to clean their vehicles, armed with polish.
Now the Cornish Brewery operates three Seddon Atkinson artics and has just taken delivery of a new urban dray vehicle. Payne says more orders will follow.
Work is already underway to produce a narrow-track Seddon Atkinson urban delivery vehicle especially designed for the brewery. And the next scheme is to manufacture a tractor and trailer combination with a record low drag coefficient factor which could save up to £15,000 a year per vehicle on fuel costs.
However, it is Seddon Atkinson's dealer network which has really impressed Payne. "We have only had two problems with the vehicles — a minor battery defect and a wiper motor. Both were fixed by our dealer, Pannell Commercials, within a couple of hours."
He says the 24-hour support has been an invaluable comfort to the brewery.
"Most dealers promise it, but few deliver. The other day 1 was driving home at one in the morning. I passed the Seddon Atkinson dealer helping a broken-down lorry which had run out of fuel. That's the kind of company they are."