Foden euphoric at ERF
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• ERE is enjoying a sales and production boom that promises to make this year the company's best since 1979, says chairman, Peter Foden.
The 'E' Series range of tractive units and rigids, introduced a year ago, "is one of our best success stories," claims Foden. in particular, the E6 16-tonner (CM's Testers' Choice for 1986) has done even better than we expected. We will get 6% of the UK 16-tonne market this year, and we expected to achieve that only after two years. More than 300 E6s have been delivered since last July."
ERF's first-quarter sales are up 30% over the same period last year, and orders so far this year are the highest since 1979".
Foden says that of the 222 operators who have ordered ERFs so far this year, 86 are 'new accounts", switching from other manufacturers. On the effect of the formation of Iveco Ford and Leyland Daf, Foden says: "This can only be good for ERR Opportunities are arising for us that may not be repeated."
He says that there is room for three more ERF distributors in the UK. The company currently has 23 distributors and a further 20 service points.
Managing director Cyril Acton says production at ERF's Sandbach factory is currently running at ten trucks a day, but will be stepped up to 12 a day next month. ERF chopped about 50 jobs last November, but a similar number were created in January when output rose from seven to 10 a day.
Peter Foden