Meynell introduce Renault trucks to fleet

Meynell Plant Hire, who supply trucks to Leicester construction contractors Jelson Holdings Ltd., their parent company, have broken the mould by acquiring the first Renault trucks to join their fleet of 50 trucks. The Renault Kerax, Midlum and Premium models will become part of the fleet, which also contains Mercedes, Volvo and new and used DAF trucks. The Renault Keraxs are tipper trucks, and will be utilised in the delivery of stone, as well as transporting debris and earth. The Premiums, meanwhile, will be used to transport breeze blocks for Jelson's subsidiary, Interfuse Ltd., a manufacturer of breeze blocks. The Midlums will be used in the transportation of residential items, for example kitchen sets, across the country, particularly to new developments which are under construction.

Meynell Plant Hire's Operations Manager Troy Harrison, said:

The Renault Premium Lander is versatile enough for delivery to our building sites, with the comfort of a high spec cab and automatic gearbox for motorway driving. One of the best advantages of the Lander is its fuel economy.The first Renault Premium Lander has been on the road for a couple of months now and already we are seeing an excellent fuel return of 8.3 miles per gallon - more than any other truck on our fleet which average at approximately 7 miles per gallon. The Kerax is a great looking vehicle and its ground clearance is second to none. The Kerax offers good bhp and a build quality for construction that is simply made for the job.

Meynell Plant Hire have worked with Renault before, as they operate a franchise for Renault automobiles, but the adoption of the trucks indicates a new level of cooperation. The logic, according to Troy Harrison, was thus:

We had never really considered Renault Trucks before but looking at the quality of the trucks you get for your money, we felt that it was a great value and, with the local support of the new RH Commercial Vehicles depot on our doorstep in Leicester, we thought we would give it a go. This decision has already proved a very positive move, both for quality and for fuel efficiency.

Meynell Plant Hire is one of the subsidiaries of Jelson holdings Ltd., one of the largest construction firms in the UK which is still privately owned. It is a family run firm, and was established in 1889, building residential properties across Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire, for more than 120 years.

MAN to release product range in China, in collaboration with Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd.

A complex web of interests between industry giant Volkswagon AG, trucker makers MAN SE and Scania, famous for new vehicles as well as MAN and Scania used trucks, and Chinese firm Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd. can be carefully unravelled, as MAN SE announce their partnership with Sinotruk.

MAN SE own 25 percent of Sinotruk Hong Kong Ltd., and chief executive officer Georg Pachta-Reyhofen revealed that they may increase that stake, on the back of the products that they plan to introduce into the Chinese market together.

MAN SE, itself part-owned by Volkswagon AG, has seen its figures improve significantly in recent months, as demand in Europe slowly begins to climb following the recession, and, more importantly, demand in Brazil rockets. Profits for the second quarter were almost seven times higher than in the previous year for the German firm. The net income was €153, up from a mere €22 million in the same period of 2009. The Latin American boom drove a 16 percent increase insales, to €3.6 billion. Pacht-Reyhofen stated that emerging markets such as Russia, Africa and Asia can be a huge market for the firm, and the collaboration with Sinotruk is part of the strategy to take advantage of these markets.

MAN SE and Sinotruck Hong Kong Ltd. plan to bring out a range of heavy duty trucks for the Chinese market in 2011, with no further information being released as yet.

The relationship between the companies is byzantine, with MAN SE owning 25 percent of Sinotruk, and Volkswagon AG owning 29.9 percent of MAN SE, which they acquired in order to assist Scania, the Swedish firm, in which they also own a majority stake, in resisting a hostile takeover by MAN SE. MAN now own 17.4 percent of Scania, and are interested in opening talks upon the subject of cooperation; a synergistic proposition which Volkswagon will surely facilitate.