Gray & Adams will be showcasing its unrivalled capability for bespoke product design at the road transport industry’s biggest event of the year.

The UK’s leading manufacturer of temperature-controlled semi-trailers and rigid vehicle bodywork is presenting three very different pieces of equipment at the Commercial Vehicle Show 2019.

Dominating Gray & Adams’ stand (3D60) in the COOL zone, will be a 44-pallet lifting-deck trailer in a special, eye-catching livery celebrating the 25th anniversary of high-profile customer, Culina Group.

Alongside, visitors can see an 18-tonner built for Creed Foodservice. This truck is fitted with an aerodynamic body, the roof of which is curved front and back, and a sliding side door.

Outside the NEC, meanwhile, Gray & Adams is presenting a 13.6m single-deck trailer with innovative electric rear shutter door, in the colours of leading SPAR distributor, James Hall & Co.

All three operators are established customers of Gray & Adams, whose consultative design approach, coupled with the renowned build quality and durability of its products, have made it a preferred supplier to many of the biggest names on UK roads.

Established in 1994, FMCG specialist Culina Group has headquarters in Market Drayton, Shropshire, and offers a comprehensive portfolio of 3PL ambient & chilled transport, distribution and warehousing services. The company purchased its first Gray & Adams lifting-deck trailer in 2015, and now runs a substantial number, as well as single-deck 13.6m and extra-long 14.6m versions.

Gray & Adams pioneered the development of lifting-deck trailer technology. The latest version’s market-leading 44-pallet carrying capacity is achieved thanks to a series of clever design features, while a sloping roof and aerodynamically profiled panel cappings contribute to fuel efficiency.

Culina Group’s 25th anniversary trailer is equipped with a new-generation Vector® HE 19 (High Efficiency) refrigeration system by Carrier Transicold. Featuring significantly redeveloped internal architecture and an ultra-modern design, this unit is 10% lighter and, says the manufacturer, significantly reduces fuel consumption, as well as being quieter.

Established in 1972, Creed Foodservice is one of the UK’s major national independent family-owned foodservice wholesalers, delivering high-quality multi-temperature products to chefs and caterers, including Grocery, Chilled, Frozen, Creed Family Butchers, Creed Fresh Produce and Non-Food categories.

Based in Staverton, near Cheltenham, and with other depots in High Wycombe and Ilkeston, Creed Foodservice acquired its first 44-pallet lifting-deck trailer from Gray & Adams last year. Since 2015 it has also commissioned a clutch of single-deck, 13.6m semi-trailers, as well as a number of 18-tonners with insulated and refrigerated bodywork – Gray & Adams is currently processing orders for another batch of rigids, most of which will replace trucks with bodywork by another manufacturer.

The vehicle on Gray & Adams’ CV Show stand is Creed Foodservice’s most highly specified rigid yet. As well as its wind-cheating 7.7m body, and pallet-width nearside sliding door – which enhances safety and reduces inconvenience to pedestrians and other road users during urban deliveries – DAF’s cab incorporates additional glazing to improve driver visibility, while the chassis is also fitted with measures to protect cyclists, and a full complement of cameras.

The truck, which will now be the subject of a trial by Creed Foodservice, employs a low-emission Carrier Transicold TRS multi-temperature refrigeration system. Other features of the body include a movable mattress bulkhead which provides for flexible, horizontal division of the load area for the transportation of frozen and chilled/ambient product, a BlueSeal air curtain by Brightec to maintain temperature integrity, and a 1,500 kg flat platform Dhollandia tail-lift.

A highlight of the James Hall SPAR trailer on display outside the National Exhibition Centre is its JR Industries’ electric shutter door, which the driver can open and close simply and quickly during deliveries, via a key fob. Not only does this solution enhance load security, but it also contributes to increased health and safety by eliminating risks of strains, or fingers becoming trapped.

Equipped with Blue Tree Systems telematics technology, the laned semi-trailer is cooled by a Carrier Transicold Vector 1950 multi-temperature refrigeration unit, and fitted with a retractable, 1,500 kg Dhollandia flat platform tail-lift.

A Gray & Adams customer for more than 20 years, James Hall & Co operates from a purpose-built head office and distribution centre on the outskirts of Preston, overlooking Junction 31a of the M6. The company, which can trace its roots back to 1863, when founder James Hall opened a bacon cutting business and retail shop in Southport, chooses Gray & Adams equipment for its outstanding longevity and back-up, as well as the manufacturer’s ability to design and build products which are perfectly tailored to its operation. Gray & Adams equipment dominates the James Hall & Co fleet and includes bodywork for rigid trucks and drawbar trailers, as well as semi-trailers of varying sizes and specification – the operator has also just taken delivery of its latest, 11.4m urban double-deck variant.

Gray & Adams Joint Managing Director Peter Gray confirms: “We’re delighted to be back at the NEC for the Commercial Vehicle Show 2019, and looking forward to meeting friends old and new once again.

“The three pieces of equipment that we’re presenting demonstrate admirably the range of our capabilities, and the breadth of our customer portfolio. They may be very different in terms of their design specifications, but all offer the trademark Gray & Adams attributes of attention to detail, innovation, superior engineering, and highly competitive whole-life running costs encapsulated within our ‘Driven to deliver’ brand pledge.”

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About the Author: John Loughran