Swop bodies cut egg transport costs
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• Eastwood/UPM Ltd, Bilsthorpe, Nottingham, marketing subsidiary of J. B. Eastwood Ltd, claimant t o being the largest egg producer in the world, is now operating a fleet of Abel Air swop-body vehicles to deliver eggs throughout the East and West Midlands, together with South Wales and the Bristol area, carrying approximately 108,000 eggs in each swop body.
The chassis currently in use are 12 Ford 1)1000s of 16 tons gvw, and the dimensions of the 21 bodies are 20ft by 8ft, the insulated container bodywork having been supplied by Reeves (Coachbuilders) Ltd, Chesterfield. The fast turnround afforded by the swop body system, say the operators, saves up to 1+ hours a day in driver-waiting-time per vehicle. Saving is also effected in warehouse overtime costs (two hours' overtime per day per man) due to the pre-loading facility of the equipment. Saving on road tax, it is said, has practically paid for the lifting equipment.
Abel Air Equipment is manufactured by Abel Air Systems Ltd, Birmingham, which was formerly known as Abelson Motors Ltd, and has recently been purchased by a consortium financed by the Charterhouse Group of companies.