Fowler Welch has taken delivery of 21 tractor units from the new-generation Actros range.

The vehicles were supplied by Dealer Sparshatt Truck & Van, and are operating from a depot in Teynham, Kent.

Like the units which joined the company’s fleet in 2018, all are Actros 2545 models with flat-floored BigSpace cabs and 330 kW (450 hp) in-line six-cylinder engines.

The new arrivals, however, are from the fifth-generation Actros range, which in November won for Mercedes-Benz a record ninth International Truck of the Year title.

New features include MirrorCam, Multimedia Cockpit and an enhanced version of the Predictive Powertrain Control system.

Fowler Welch initiated and worked closely with Mercedes-Benz Trucks and Sparshatt Truck & Van on a ‘pre-life’ programme, to ensure that everything was in place before the trucks arrived. This covered everything from driver training, and the familiarisation for members of its Teynham-based team with key personnel and the aftersales support available from new service provider Sparshatt, to arrangements for regular performance reviews, and the manufacturer’s ‘road map’ for further advances in technology.

“Driver engagement and operational feedback were also very important factors in the decision-making process,” said Maurizio Romano, the company’s head of fleet.

“We don’t underestimate the impact on drivers and local teams of asking them to change from one make of truck to another, so it was important that their views were also considered.”

He continued: “Our relationship with Mercedes-Benz is still a relatively new one but it’s fair to say that Fowler Welch has been extremely pleased with the support it’s received, both during the procurement process, and in laying the necessary groundwork prior to delivery of the vehicles to site.”

Operating from headquarters in Spalding, Lincolnshire, Fowler Welch provides supply chain solutions covering ambient and temperature-controlled products to many of the UK’s biggest and best-known food suppliers and retailers.

Romano concluded: “Long-term partnerships are what Fowler Welch is all about, and I’d like to think we’re now building one with Mercedes-Benz.”

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