A go-ahead distribution company has invested more than \u00a3600,000 in five new state-of-the-art-trucks.<\/p>\n
The vehicles bought by Wrexham-based McCarthy Distribution are a home-from-home for drivers and fitted with mod cons including a fridge, microwave and a television.<\/p>\n
The new TG3 MAN tractor units include the 100th<\/sup> truck they have bought from AN Richards, from Froncysyllte, near Llangollen, in nearly two decades of collaboration.<\/p>\n The two family-run companies have been doing business together since 2005, helping each other on the road to success.<\/p>\n McCarthy, based on Wrexham Industrial Estate, have been in the distribution and logistics industry since 1950.<\/p>\n The ambitious company now headed up by managing director Mike McCarthy is aiming to increase turnover to \u00a315 million, creating 30 new jobs in the process.<\/p>\n The strategy to take the firm to the \u201cnext level\u201d includes increasing warehouse capacity and taking on contract packing work.<\/p>\n Their high spec Elm Point warehouse complex that opened in 2019 recently gained approval from Organic Farmers and Growers (OF&G<\/em>) to add to their accreditation from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).<\/p>\n Mike McCarthy said: \u201cWe go back a long way with AN Richards and the service and support we had from them over the years has been second to none.<\/p>\n \u201cEssentially, we are two family businesses who work well together. They really look after us.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic product and they are fantastic people which provides the foundation for our excellent relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get all our trucks are from them now. We started off with tractor units only and we\u2019ve gone from tractor units to rigid lorries and now we get all our vans from them as well, so we\u2019re 100 per cent dedicated to them.<\/p>\n \u201cThis latest batch includes the 100th<\/sup> truck and these new vehicles represent a substantial investment because they are \u00a3120,000 each.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of the technology, these vehicles are very advanced and the emissions are the lowest you can get.<\/p>\n \u201cThe specifications on the trucks have now come on in leaps and bounds in terms of driver comfort which is incredibly important because they can be away all week.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can stand up in them, they\u2019ve got fridges, microwaves and television \u2013 so they\u2019re more like a mobile home. They have everything to make the driver self-sufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThey also have a host of safety features, including four cameras \u2013 front and rear and one on each side.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can dial in to those cameras should the driver need assistance, so we can access them from a portal at our offices in Wrexham.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s aimed at the direct vision standard as well, so it\u2019s for safety for cyclists on the near side, so you can see them.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are also sensors if someone comes on the inside that will warn the driver that there\u2019s a cyclist there.\u201d<\/p>\n The Richards family have been in the motor trade since the early 1900s they have been operating on their current site for more 40 years.<\/p>\n The managing director is Bryn Richards whose wife, Rose, is the office manager.<\/p>\n Their daughter, Johanna Cooke, is company secretary while Bryn\u2019s brother Gary is now semi-retired and taking more of a back seat.<\/p>\n The MAN dealership employs 47 mostly local people and prides itself in using local suppliers whenever possible.<\/p>\n Chartered accountant Joanna Cooke said: \u201cI\u2019m extremely proud to be part of the family business.<\/p>\n \u201cOur whole ethos is keeping people\u2019s trucks on the road, looking after everybody as much as we can.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a real family run business because also my husband works here, my sister-in-law too, so we are like one big family really.\u201d<\/p>\n As well as selling trucks, they also hire them out while they also do MoTs and accident repairs and have a bespoke engineering department.<\/p>\n Bryn Richards said: \u201cWe like to describe the company as one that provides total transport solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very proud to play our part in helping a fantastic company such as McCarthy Distribution and to be part of that chain that keeps them trucking.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a brilliant partnership and they rely on us as a company to keep their wheels and their business moving.\u201d<\/p>\n