TWL: News & Features:

New National Distribution Centre All Go

1 November 05

The impressive new TWL National Distribution Centre officially opened in October & promises significant improvements for staff and customers ...

The Hornby, Christchurch based site will provide the logistical cornerstone of TWL’s business, providing warehousing for the company’s 16,000 + product lines and the distribution ‘hub’ for the large range of globally imported parts and equipment.

“The quality of the new facility now matches the great people we have in our distribution team” said TWL distribution manager, Warren Bills. “There are vast benefits which will flow through to all areas of our business, - improving support to our national branch teams, and our customers.

“Essentially we will be providing a much more efficient & effective service to all” adds Warren.

Expanding Service

1 September 05

Isuzu service agent, ROBERTSON’S ISUZU in Palmerston North has geared up its operation with significant expansion to cope with their increasing customer demand.

The new six bay service centre represents a two million-dollar investment in the most modern and up to date workshop and service centre in the Palmerston North area. The new facility is located at 56 Railway Road, opposite the Mainfreight depot, and is the first stage of plans to offer a full, one-stop sales and service group.

Robertson’s are totally committed to providing expert service, quality and customer service. So when it came time to design and build the new workshop, provisions were made to have the most up to date equipment installed in order to minimise down time and provide the best possible service for clients.

Well-respected Service Manager, Terry Kurvink, has been working around Isuzu and other truck makes since 1980.

The facility is equipped to handle all jobs from day to day service requirements, to full rebuilding of major components. Features include both 25m and 15m pits with oil disposal and oil and grease supply facilities, a shaker plate suspension tester, an electronic brake roller tester and an hydraulic hoist.

“This gives us the ability to carry out a wide range of preventative maintenance,” says Terry. “Our major focus is keeping operators on the road and this is why we believe preventative maintenance is the best option for our clients” he continues.

The brake tester and suspension shaker were installed to allow major fleet users and lease companies the ability to conduct brake audits and to programme their maintenance requirements. The brake tester can be used to check the efficiency of vehicle brakes before visiting the testing station. This can save considerable time with no need to travel back and forth for repairs and retesting. The suspension shaker is used to detect and isolate any wear in the suspension and steering components.

Terry and his team of six mechanics were involved in the design and layout of the new facility. “We all suggested something that makes the place more user-friendly for us and more efficient for our customers,” said Terry. The workshop was designed to meet exacting safety standards whilst being clean and efficient

Opening hours are from 7-30am till 5-30pm Monday to Friday and 8am till 12pm Saturday (the usual 24 hour call out service is also available). The service hours have been designed to best suit operator’s requirements and to allow maximum flexibility. Outside there is an ample parking area for customers leaving vehicles for service and a new covered wash bay has recently been completed on site.

The parts area is the domain of Manager Wayne Scrivener and not only supports the workshop but also supplies trade and general customers. The parts department now carries an even greater range of Isuzu parts.

Wayne can also supply a range of parts for other makes as well. “ If we haven’t got it, we’ll try to get it for the next day; and if it’s not in the country, we’ll have it out of Japan within eight weeks,” says Wayne.

To round things off, Robertson’s have appointed Ian Renner as their used truck salesman. Ian is well known and respected within the transport industry and is available to help with the buying and selling of second hand trucks. Ian has an office at the service centre and is looking forward to his new role as Sales Manger.

Robertson’s Isuzu has been a valued customer of TWL Palmerston North for sometime. Regional sales manager, Stu Gardner & territory representative Geoff Duffy have established a strong rapport with Terry and the team and they look forward to this continuing for a very long time.

For all your sales and service requirements contact the team at Robertson’s Isuzu in Palmerston North.

New Brake Consultancy Service

1 September 05

TWL’s new brake consultancy service is all about delivering what our customer’s want, according to Paul Streeter, Product Support Manager for Brake Certification and Diagnostics.

“TWL Brake Consultancy Services offers a dedicated heavy truck & trailer brake certification & diagnostics service to the New Zealand heavy transport industry. This ‘cuts to the core’ of what TWL is all about - providing a quality service that takes the worry & downtime out of a customer’s business” says Paul.

The cornerstone of the new service is diagnostics, consultancy & brake certification, which involves the certification or approval of braking systems as road-worthy. This process involves stringent testing of brake systems by fully qualified brake certifiers.

Fleet compatibility is a key aspect of the diagnostics service. This centres around the ‘compatibility’ of trucks & trailers within a fleet to deliver increased braking effectiveness and cost efficiencies for operators.

Building on this is a full service package which includes; brake system design, parts and system supply, and expert advice & consultancy.

“This new service is a true response to strong customer demand, something that many customers have been asking for. Now in this dedicated role we will be able to respond to that need completely” adds Paul.

Brake certification & diagnostics has been an area that TWL has ‘informally’ been a part of for a number of years. TWL has a core of highly experienced brake specialists and a strong braking product range that will stand the service in good stead.

To take the initiative forward Paul’s appointment will see, for the first time, a focused and formal braking service for TWL customers.

Carrying Canterbury's Future

1 August 05

If you have ever driven through South Canterbury you will be sure to have passed one of Hilton Haulage Transport’s hard-working trucks.

It is no surprise that the company is synonymous with transport in South Canterbury. From their base in Timaru, HHT is by far, the leading freight, container and storage provider in the region. HHT also operates from 2 depots in CHCH.

HHT was formed in 1994 following a management buy-out of the then 25 year old business. Still privately run, some of the owners remain involved in the day-to-day management of the company. The company specializes in providing transport and storage solutions to its large national and international client base.

In February this year, Hilton Haulage Transport acquired the Christchurch-based business of Auckland's Tapper Transport. Consolidating the container transport business of both Tapper and Hilton in Christchurch has seen Hilton emerge as a large container carrier in Christchurch.
The container transport operation is managed from Hilton's Hillsborough depot along with container freight devanning and consolidation. The general transport operation continues to operate from the Sockburn Depot along with cold and dry storage facilities.

The business it built around a core of 140 staff which expands to 175 during the harvest season. Many of HHT’s staff has over 15 years experience which is a major asset to the company.

“A big factor in the company’s success has been the loyalty of our staff” says General Manager – Peter McAuley “The mix of our team expertise and the modern & specialized equipment we use is a big part of our success”.

Striking in appearance the HHT fleet is kept in top condition both mechanically and in appearance to meet the company’s strict standards.
HHT operates a modern fleet of over 70 trucks and 90 trailers, with the majority being less than four years old. In-house fleet workshops are dedicated to maintaining the fleet to the highest possible degree. This is all derived from the company’s strict policy of routine upgrades, replacements and constant attention to safety.

The fleet features many specialized transport units reflecting the variety of their business. This includes a full range of trucks, tractor units, crane trucks, flatdecks, curtainsiders, tipping trucks/trailers, skeletal trailers, swinglifts, a forklift transporter and specialised agricultural equipment.

The carrying capacity of the fleet exceeds 1,500 tonnes in all types of vehicle combinations. Operating 24 hours / 7 days a week, HHT extends its service throughout the South Island to meet customer demand.
“Our fleet reflects the needs of our wide-ranging customer base,” says Peter McAuley “We can meet virtually every transport requirement of existing or potential customers.”

Hilton Haulage Transport has been a valued customer of TWL Timaru for many years.

TWL has been a consistantly good supplier to HHT over many years, it is particularly convenient that TWL have a branch in Timaru. “We certainly benefit from the excellent service supplied from both Timaru, Dunedin and Christchurch branches of TWL” adds Peter.

Contact Hilton Haulage Transport:
23 Sheffield Street, PO Box 2044, Washdyke, Timaru.
Ph: (03) 687-4026 Fax: (03) 687 4149 www.hiltonhaulage.co.nz

Ahead of the Pack

1 August 04

TWL has recently rolled out a new mobile sales system that promises to deliver a far more rapid service to customers and save truckloads in administration costs.

All thirty-seven infield sales representatives from TWL’s 20 nationwide offices have been equipped with an iPaq Pocket PC and a wireless sales processing system.

Until recently all sales orders were filled-in by hand at the customer’s site and then faxed or handed to the local branch where customer service staff would re-enter the details to the main computer system. The process was inefficient, laborious and prone to human error.

Grant Adam, National Sales Manager at TWL, desperately wanted a more efficient and less costly parts order processing system.

“When you consider we have 37 infield representatives making approximately 12 sales calls a day, 5 days a week – the benefits of the new iPaq system become apparent,” says Grant. “With this amount of sales processing combined with an inventory of 16,000 product lines – we desperately needed to find a much more efficient system”.

The iPaq system essentially utilises wireless technology to provide real-time information from TWL’s main computer operating system. While physically the ‘iPaq’ only looks like a wallet sized calculator it has allowed instant access to stock availability, pricing and of course, order placement.

“The benefits of this mobile technology has been fantastic.”

“In essence TWL as a business is much more accessible – it could be said we now have 57 branches instead of just 20, such is the empowerment of the iPaq system. The system supports our staff terrifically, complimenting their individual skills and expertise with instant accurate information” adds Grant.

The new system has found great favour with the TWL sales team. After only a few hours of training, reps were out in the field processing orders. The reduction in paperwork is a major plus, and this benefit flows onto the branch teams with far fewer stock enquires and double-ups in sales processing.

The new iPaq system was developed with a strong team approach. This included Grant Adam, Stephen Nicholls (Gough Group IT Manager), Pat Maguire (TWL Infield Sales Representative), Itouch Ltd, and Computerland.

“The success of the iPaq system can be put down to the unique skills and perspectives offered by the development team. If your business is considering this technology, I’d suggest this team approach is essential.”

“Much is made of how new technology can assist business in this modern age. Through iPaq technology we can now offer a more responsive, and more efficient service to our customers on their premises” adds Grant.

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