Fraikin Ltd is part of the Fraikin Group, the largest commercial vehicle fleet services company in Europe, providing fleet management, contract hire and rental solutions to both the private and public sector.
The company is a major player in the UK commercial vehicle rental sector, with a 1,200-strong fleet ranging from 3.5 to 44 tonnes and including dry freight trailers.
In 2015 Fraikin announced the largest annual investment in its hire fleet for a decade, with 216 dry freight and temperature-controlled vehicles entering service. Valued at more than £13m, Fraikin says the investment has given it one of the most comprehensive and modern rental fleets on the market.
The order saw Carrier Transicold refrigeration units selected for more than 30 new temperature-controlled vehicles.
This included 20 Carrier Transicold Xarios™ 200, 300 and 500 systems, and 11 multitemperature Supra™ 750 MT and 1150 MT units. The Xarios 200 and 300 units are fitted to Mercedes-Benz Sprinter light commercial vehicles, while the more powerful Xarios 500 systems are fitted to Iveco Eurocargo rigids. The Supra 750 MT and 1150 MT systems were chosen for a combination of Eurocargo, DAF LF and CF rigids, highlighting the full range of temperature-controlled rental assets offered by Fraikin.
Highlighting the reasons for specifying Carrier Transicold, Mark Newnes, operations director, Fraikin, said: “The key to ensuring high rental asset utilisation is investing in the most hireable vehicles in the first place. Most of our customers are already familiar with Carrier Transicold units and trust them to protect the cold chain and deliver a hassle-free rental experience.”
“Most of our customers are already familiar with Carrier Transicold units and trust them to protect the cold chain and deliver a hassle-free rental experience”
The results
“The breadth of performance offered by the Xarios and Supra systems allows us to ensure we have a solution for just about any light commercial vehicle or rigid truck application,” added Newnes.
“Plus we have confidence from our experience of working closely with Carrier Transicold that the units will be cost-effective for our customers to operate, whilst having as little environmental impact as possible.”
Carrier Transicold’s versatile Xarios range features units with cooling and heating abilities from -20°C to +30°C, for vehicles with box volumes of 8-40m³. Fraikin’s most powerful Xarios acquisition, the Xarios 500, offers airflow of 1,450 m³/h, while maintaining a low noise level ideally suited to urban operations – making it a perfect match for the Fraikin customer base.
For larger rigid trucks, the Supra refrigeration systems are proving ideal for intensive distribution environments with multiple door openings – another key area where Fraikin sees significant demand. Long service intervals also mean Fraikin can keep its rental fleet on the road for longer in between scheduled services, improving both uptime and the customer experience.
