Dublin, Ireland: UK convenience food producer, Greencore, has taken its first electric vehicle, part of a 300 vehicle order from Petit Forestier. The acquisition of a 3.5t Renault Master ZE is the start of a new era for Greencore Direct to Store as it explores alternative fuel sources for its fleet of vehicles.
Petit Forestier instigated ‘GoGreen’ workshops to guide Greencore through a potential transition to alternative-fuelled vehicles. The workshops are part of an ongoing drive by Petit Forestier to lead conversations around sustainability throughout the cold storage industry.
Greencore and Petit Forestier will monitor performance of the new electric vehicle as they continue future fleet planning. Craig Welborn, head of national accounts, Petit Forestier UK & Ireland, said: “We are working with the Greencore’s Direct to Store operations team to help them on their journey to transition to alternative fuels. Greencore has a combined light and heavy commercial vehicle fleet of 600 plus vehicles and this latest order sees them kickstart their journey to greener solutions.
“We will be supporting the roll out of electric vehicles with driver training and adopting best practice for their loading and delivery operation, which is a crucial element of saving energy. All of this will be supported by their telematics solution, which will include data analysis to provide ongoing guidance.”
Commercial agreements include innovation clauses, with the aim of further helping the alternative fuel energy transition for Greencore. Full fleet management includes complete service repair and maintenance, driver training and access to a new online incident system for reporting and fleet management.
QR codes are the latest initiative to be trialled which drivers can scan and report issues to get an instant response. The facility allows the driver to upload photos and videos of any problems identified to enable early diagnosis by Petit Forestier engineers.