“Sustainability” is now much more than a buzz word; it’s a crucial focus for leading organisations across the UK and indeed across the world. There is a building momentum globally to reset business models to truly value the health of the planet that we are all lucky to enjoy.
Culina Group is at the forefront of this reset.
One of the latest initiatives now underway across the Culina Group to help boost sustainability is a major systemised fleet refurbishment programme. The objective is to optimise utilisation of all existing fleet to its maximum potential.
Overall the Culina Group fleet is in excess of 5,000 units and 8,000 trailers. What’s more it’s a fleet that is growing year on year in line with business growth. New Mercedes, DAF, and Scania fleet is introduced regularly across the group to a rolling schedule to maintain performance quality.
The new refurbishment programme is operating in synchronisation with this fleet renewal schedule. This is ensuring that Culina Group is operating a high quality fleet nationwide whilst at the same time all fleet is exploited to its full potential.
The first phase of the refurbishment programme is now well underway. Over the past six weeks more than a hundred and thirty trucks from across the Group were sent to Culina House, the Group HQ at Warrington Cheshire, for a thorough refurbishment.
It’s been the start of a rigorous process that for each vehicle involves a series of stages so that it reaches a condition that could be considered almost new. The actual timescale for full refurbishment of each truck varies depending on the state it arrives in.
Firstly in the vehicle wash bay each vehicle is given a full chassis deep clean, a major steam clean operation that takes over an hour. Then all existing fleet livery is removed and the full cab is steam cleaned. This is an operation that in total takes around four hours. Next is a full internal valet which takes around three hours.
A through maintenance check follows and all necessary repairs are made. At the same time internal operating systems such as dash cams, trackers and telematics are replaced and revised.
Finally each unit is then liveried with the new Group branding a process that takes around half a day. Then prior to being released to the business full checks are made to ensure each vehicle is compliant to all regulations.
The refurbishment programme will run through to 2025 when the whole fleet will have been reviewed.
As an organisation that is fully committed to sustainability and positive environmental management, Culina Group follows a policy of continuous improvement in both operations and working practices. This is followed both across the group on a Macro level and at each location on a Micro level.
