Faccenda enters £3M truck leasing and maintenance deal

Poultry processor Faccenda Foods has renewed a fleet of delivery trucks at one of its main distribution centres to meet growing demand for UK produced white meat, with a £3M leasing and maintenance contract.

The company, which supplies more than 200M cases of chicken and turkey each year, has reported that orders from supermarkets had never been stronger. This, in turn, has led it to boosting the logistics operation at its Telford processing plant, which underwent a multi-million pound extension last year.

The delivery of 29 Volvo tractor units, supplied by truck leasing and contract hire specialist Indelease, will play a key part in Faccenda’s delivery process. The contract, worth more than £3M including both fleet management and maintenance, is a first for Faccenda.

‘Demand for chicken portions’

“Demand for our British chicken portions has increased markedly over the last couple of years,” said Ian Ashley, head of transport at Faccenda Foods. “It seems the public still prefers products that have been produced in the UK and that’s great for our business.

“Our delivery operation is growing all the time and we’re keen to ensure it’s both fit for purpose and ready to meet the future demands of our expanding business.”

Faccenda has a turnover of more than £500M and employs more than 3,500 staff nationwide.

“This is a deal enables us to replace some older trucks and add others to create a modern, safe, fuel-efficient fleet,” added Ashley

‘Full control of distribution’

“It gives us full control of our entire distribution process and means we’ll no longer use periodic rental or spot hire to meet peaks in demand.”

The first of the Volvo FM 6x2 Globetrotter units was delivered to the site at the end of July with the remainder to follow before the end of August.

The new trucks will play a vital role in Faccenda’s logistics operations, which comprise a 300-strong fleet, including more than 160 light commercials along with 120 smaller vans and cars.