Supporting new £3 million packaging line
Keltruck, the largest independent Scania distributor in Europe, has supplied a new Scania vehicle to Herefordshire-based Westons Cider, helping it to keep up with surging demand during the recent lockdown.
Westons has recently invested £3 million in a new packaging line, which will handle 12,500 cans of cider per hour. To cope with this increased volume, the company has purchased its newest Scania truck, a P320 rear steer 26 tonne chassis with P Highline cab and 30 foot curtain sided body, to join its existing 24-vehicle fleet.
David Griffiths, Supply Chain Director at Westons Cider, said: “We purchase Scania trucks for their reliability, not price, because we do all of our own distribution, and we need good equipment we can rely on. Westons’ supply chain is a key part to our success, getting deliveries to their destination on time and in full.”
Mike Kelly, Keltruck Fleet Sales Director, said: “Keltruck has been supplying Scania vehicles to Westons for over 10 years, and we have a great working relationship with them – based on the reliability of the Scania trucks. Westons is still running several older models of Scania vehicles in its fleet, while this latest purchase will give them a tailor-made solution to meet the demands of the new packaging line.”
Based in the Herefordshire village of Much Marcle, Westons Cider traces its history to 1878, when Henry Weston settled there and began to produce ciders and perries. Today, his great-granddaughter Helen Thomas is the company’s managing director, and the firm employs over 200 people, with a turnover of £65 million. Tim Weston, another 4th generation family member, is a director, and a 5th generation Weston, Guy Lawrence, works for the company as a cider maker.
