Trailblazer Tasker
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ONLY ONE of the three biggest trailer manufacturers in this country will be exhibiting at next month's Motor Show — Craven Tasker. (Crane Fruehauf and York have pulled out).
Craven Tasker's new managing director, Norman Mellors, told CM last week that while his company's five factories have been hurt by therecession — two are working a three-day week and there have been some 30 redundancies — nevertheless he is optimistic about the future.
He believes that customers should not be given the chance to see new products at NEC and meet to discuss operational problems.
Orders for semi-trailers are hard to come by these days, and to help Craven Tasker win its fair share Mr Mellors has restructured the sales force.
Previously the salesmen based at each factory concentrated on selling the particular type of trailer produced there (low-loaders from Andover, reefers from Sheffield and so on) and inevitably there was some overlapping.
Now the whole sales force is being given product training in all the group's semi-trailers, but at least one technical specialist will be based at each factory to offer advice. Scottish customers will get a better local service later this year when a new factory is opened at Lochgelly, north of Edinburgh. It will be producing mainly tipper trailers and will supplement Craven Tasker's existing Scottish plant at Cumbernauld, managed by Tom Dinning, who will also be responsible for the new site.