ATS Euromaster has won back a significant sole-supplier agreement with Scotland’s largest independent wine and spirit wholesaler, Wallaces Express, which operates 50 cars and 70 commercial vehicles.
It follows just six months after the account was passed to a local independent tyre dealer. The Irvine-based fleet initially changed suppliers in an effort to trim its fleet operating costs, but the new provider failed to meet its required service standards.
Frank Frew, transport manager at Wallaces Express, said: “The company took a view that we could reduce our tyre spend by buying tyres from a local dealer, but the quality of the service we received simply didn’t measure up. We demand high standards from all of our suppliers; it’s not something we are prepared to compromise on.”
One of the critical issues picked up immediately by Frew and his team were missing re-torque labels. “We had several instances of fitters changing tyres on our trucks, but not leaving re-torque notifications for the driver,” he said. “This is a fundamental safety procedure – it should happen 100% of the time with any professional tyre service company.”
Frew and Wallaces Express fleet controller Alan Fairlamb got back in touch with ATS Euromaster and jointly developed a new tyre policy.
The new policy sees Kleber tyres being fitted to cars and vans, with trucks running on Primewell rubber – a new mid-range brand offered exclusively in the UK by ATS Euromaster. The agreement also includes monthly tyre inspections carried out by experienced tyre technicians, which help ensure maximum safety and reliability.
Frew said: “Our revised policy gives me the peace of mind that our tyres are being serviced and maintained by skilled professionals. This not only protects our Operators License, but helps ensure deliveries are made safely and on-time.”
ATS Euromaster’s Group sales director Peter Fairlie said: “We understand how important it is for Wallaces Express to have absolute confidence in the proficiency of the technicians servicing their vehicles. They run a very professional transport operation and we are pleased to be working with them again.”
Wallaces Express supplies the licensed trade throughout much of Scotland and the North of England, with its fleet spread between six strategically located depots in Coatbridge, Dumfries, Inverness, Irvine, Kintore and Lanark.
The company’s trucks are on the road six days per week and carry out deliveries to pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, garage forecourts and retail shops located furthest away from its depots. Vans make deliveries in the immediate areas surrounding each depot – typically returning to base up to four times per day to be loaded.
Wallaces Express was established in Ayr in 1875 as a retailer, before evolving into the drinks wholesale business in the mid-1980s.
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