JW Filshill boosts sustainability credentials in £600k fleet upgrade

JW Filshill said it has invested in the region of £600,000 in upgrading its fleet of vehicles.

The five bespoke vehicles – three 18-tonne and two 26-tonne lorries – meet the latest Euro 6 specifications, strengthening the Glasgow-based wholesaler’s commitment to sustainability.

While the new additions are more fuel-efficient than older trucks, Filshill added that it incentivises drivers to obtain higher mileage per gallon as part of ongoing efforts to be more energy-efficient and achieve cost-savings.

Trucks are fitted with OptiDrive vehicle tracking technology which measures 12 operational parameters such as breaking, steering and revving to help drivers lower fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, reduce wear on the vehicle and improve road safety.

“As we use cages for deliveries, we don’t need quite so much height so these new vehicles are a foot lower than our existing fleet, making them more energy-efficient,” commented Stuart MacKenzie, senior operations manager in charge of logistics and warehousing at Filshill.

“Combined with a full telematic system featuring eight cameras and bespoke satnav supplied by Belfast-based Simplicity Group that coaches drivers – plus on-site training – this new fleet will form a key component of our strategy to reduce our carbon footprint.”

MacKenzie, who joined Filshill in March, supervised the build of the new fleet, alongside overseeing logistics requirements at the wholesaler’s brand-new distribution centre at Westway Park near Glasgow Airport.

“Covering all of Scotland and the north of England as far as Leeds, we have previously rerouted journeys to reduce our mileage significantly, creating carbon and cost-savings which we have been able to reinvest in upgrading the fleet,” MacKenzie added.

Filshill will relocate to the 120,400sqft purpose-built distribution centre in early 2022.

The facility will provide pallet capacity of 12,000 in a 14-metre-high warehouse with 12 loading docks. There will also be 10,000sqft of fresh and chilled space to accommodate growth in this category.