Tiling firm is stuck on its Fuso Canters
Tiling specialist Walls and Floors is saving one complete journey in every seven since switching from its previous 7.5-tonne truck chassis to the Fuso Canter.
Key to the Japanese truck’s appeal is its market-leading payload – Walls and Floors’ Canters can carry just shy of 4.0 tonnes, whereas its previous vehicles fell short even of 3.5 tonnes.
The Kettering-based company has just taken delivery of its fourth new Fuso Canter in a year. All are range-topping 7C18 models and powered by efficient 175hp engines that not only meet Euro 5 emissions limits but also the even more stringent – and voluntary – Enhanced Environmentally-friendly Vehicle (EEV) standard
Walls and Floors buys its Canters from Wellingborough Mercedes-Benz dealer Intercounty Truck & Van – the German manufacturer’s UK dealers are also responsible for sales and support of the popular Fuso light truck range.
Fitted with eye-catching, 20ft curtainside bodies by Newland Coachworks, of Northampton, the Canters deliver an extensive range of tiling and associated products to trade and private customers within a 100-mile radius of Kettering.
Transport Manager Mark Wood said: “The Canter is attractively priced and backed by a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, which says a lot about the manufacturer’s faith in its product.
“But the main reason we like the Canter is that while it is certainly strong and well built, it is also very light. That lightness equates to an impressive payload advantage of around 500kg compared to the vehicles we were using previously.
“And when you’re transporting a product as heavy as tiles, a weight saving of half a tone represents a big improvement in productivity and efficiency.”
Mr Wood continued: “We have four or five vehicles in London each day and the feedback from the Canter drivers has been very positive.
“As well as being lighter our new 7.5-tonners are also more compact, which means we can access tight areas we couldn’t have done before.
“And because the chassis height is lower, it’s also easier for them to unload – fewer than half of the places to which we deliver have fork-lifts, so the lads have to break their palletised loads down and lift them off by hand.”
Walls and Floors intends to run its Canters for at least five years, during which each vehicle will typically cover around 90,000km per annum.
Founded in 1987, Walls and Floors has grown to become one of the UK’s leading tile stockists and distributors. The company’s showroom in Kettering is one of the country’s biggest and features displays from many of the biggest manufacturers in the tiling world; it has a second showroom in Putney, west London.
For more information, visit wallsandfloors.co.uk.
