Oriental food and beverage importer Asco Foods has taken on a pair of Mercedes-Benz Actros rigids from commercial vehicle contract hire and fleet management company, Prohire. The two 26-tonne trucks will be based out of Amersham and be used to deliver ambient and temperature-controlled foodstuffs nationwide.
As a wholesaler of authentic fine foods from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and the Asian region, Asco has witnessed increasing demand over recent years for its products and the order doubles the size of its fleet from two to four.
“As our business has evolved, we are carrying larger volumes of bulk goods. That has resulted in needing the right payload and the ability to have the flexibility of ambient, frozen and chilled products in any pallet configuration from 2 + 12 to a straight 16 pallets”, explained director Sunny Chadha (pictured above).
“Having had experience of working directly with a main dealership for our transport requirements, we realised contract hire with full maintenance was the better way forward. The preference is to use a one stop shop like Prohire who can offer support for the flexibility we need,” he added.
“Firstly, it has a fleet of alternative vehicles as and when needed, so business interruptions are minimal. Secondly, the team is very responsive and makes life easier for us from procurement to management to maintenance, genuinely going the extra mile to make sure the customer is happy.”
The new trucks employ Merc’s mid-size 10.7-litre OM470 engine, producing 326hp, and are fitted with a Carrier temperature-controlled body with Solomons dual compartment bodies and column tail-lifts. Both vehicles have been specified with full maintenance deal over a six-year contract, which puts Prohire in overall charge of its temperature-controlled fleet.
Prohire supplies commercial vehicles and full fleet support services to a wide range of business sectors including foodservice and catering, chilled food and pharmaceuticals, builders’ merchants, leisure retail and the brewing industry as well as to specialist logistics companies.
