Fruehauf joins in rigid tipper market
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TRAILER manufacturer Fruehauf has re-entered the rigid tipper body market, with the first dozen units being built at its Grantham, Lincolnshire, factory.
They are mostly for 8x4 chassis and include both insulated alloy bodies for asphalt and steel bodies for aggregates, while alloy plank-siders for semi-bulk work are also in the programme.
David Thomson, formerly MD at rival Weightlifter, joined Fruehauf in May to head the new rigid bodybuilding and repair operation. "We took soundings at Tip-ex this year and found a great deal of support for a new player in the market," he said.
Fruehauf originally ventured into the rigid tipper body market in 2006 under former owner Wordsworth Holdings, but the recession "strangled the business at birth", according to Thomson. He said those original bodies have performed well and so the new designs are not radically different. "The 8x4 market is relatively conservative," he added, explaining that customers will be attracted by short lead times for the new bodies.
Fruehauf is building the bodies on a production flow line rather than a traditional bay-based system, using an empty assembly hall formerly occupied by Barford Dumpers on Fruehauf's Grantham site. Thomson said: "We will pre-build bodies without waiting for the chassis to arrive, so we can turn orders around faster. Lead times in the business are far too long."
He estimated the rigid tipper body market to be about 450 to 500 alloy bodies a year, with three or four times as many steel bodies. "We are looking for a good share of that," he said. Fruehauf is now owned by Scottish entrepreneur
lain McKeand. • Fruehauf's new rigid bodies and trailers will be on display atTip-ex 14
in Harrogate from 29-31 May next year.