Oliver Kay Produce

Oliver Kay Produce has boosted its capacity of chiller vans with a number of new lightweight refrigerated vehicles.

The wholesale and catering supplier said it has upped capacity by 20 per cent as well as improved its carbon footprint after working with transport solutions provider CoolKit.

Oliver Kay operates a fleet of over 90 refrigerated vehicles, delivering fresh fruit and vegetables to customers around the UK.

The company’s group transport managerNigel Mason explained: “We needed to replace nine of our existing vehicles and felt it was also a good time to assess our carbon footprint and seek ways to be more efficient on fuel and energy.”

CoolKit proposeda Volkswagen Crafterchiller box van with a medium wheelbase chassis, offering a payload of 1,142kg. The vehicle design saw the fridge placed under the chassis, in order to improve the aerodynamics of the vehicle. Further aerodynamic surroundings, cab deflectors and side wings were also added to maximise fuel efficiency and airflow.

“Each new van has 20 per cent additional capacity, which stops us from having to swap items from van to van to meet weight restrictions and better still, it means we can condense delivery runs, which also helps cut costs,” said Mason.