The transport and distribution team at Greencore, a leading UK convenience food producer, has taken the next steps on its journey to becoming more sustainable, with its first electric vehicle forming part of a 300-unit order from the largest provider of cold storage solutions.

Refrigerated specialists, Petit Forestier, further strengthened a 20-year working partnership with Greencore Group following the sizeable fleet order which comprises a mix of LCV and HGV vehicles.

Significantly, the investment kickstarts a new era for Greencore Direct to Store as it explores alternative fuel sources for its fleet of vehicles, purchasing its first electric 3.5t Renault Master ZE.

Petit Forestier instigated ‘GoGreen’ workshops to guide Greencore through a potential transition to alternative fuelled vehicles. The workshops are part of an ongoing drive by Petit Forestier to lead conversations around sustainability throughout the cold storage industry.

The partners will now work in collaboration to monitor performance of the new electric vehicle as they continue future fleet planning.

Craig Welborn, Head of National Accounts for Petit Forestier UK & Ireland, said: “We are working with the Greencore’s Direct to Store operations team to help them on their journey to transition to alternative fuels. Greencore has a combined light and heavy commercial vehicle fleet of 600 plus vehicles and this latest order sees them kickstart their journey to greener solutions.

“We will be supporting the roll out of electric vehicles with driver training and adopting best practice for their loading and delivery operation, which is a crucial element of saving energy. All of this will be supported by their telematics solution, which will include data analysis to provide ongoing guidance.”

Commercial agreements include innovation clauses, with the aim of further helping the alternative fuel energy transition for Greencore. Full fleet management includes complete service repair and maintenance, driver training and access to a new online incident system for reporting and fleet management. QR codes are the latest initiative to be trialled which drivers can scan and report issues to get an instant response. The facility allows the driver to upload photos and videos of any problems identified to enable early diagnosis by Petit Forestier engineers.

Jeremy Fitton, Head of Logistics, Network and Transport for Greencore, added: “Petit Forestier is a trusted partner who we have been delighted to work with for over two decades. They truly understand the alternative fuelled vehicles landscape, including the additional requirements of BEV, CNG and Hydrogen vehicles, both fiscally and operationally.”

Petit Forestier specialises in full-service fleet management contract hire solutions for temperature control vehicles for all fleet sizes.

Greencore Group was established in 1991 and has strong market positions across sandwiches and other food-to-go products as well as complementary positions in other convenience food categories.