It’s been a busy time for our trailer manufacturers. We have been collaborating with Numatic International of Chard, Somerset who manufacture, among other well known brands, the iconic Henry and Hetty vacuum cleaners. So as well as featuring on the Into Somerset trailers, they now also have their own liveried vehicles. The first three of five trailers joined our fleet in February 2013, and the final ones have just been put into operation. We think they look terrific, and that it is a really eye-catching and effective way of promoting Numatic’s products to a wider audience.

And who could resist a smile when following a cheerful Henry and Hetty up the road!

Framptons Transport Services Ltd’s recently constructed Mendip Distribution Centre in Shepton Mallet was officially opened on Friday 1st March 2013 by Tessa Munt MP.  Guests, customers and Framptons’ employees gathered to celebrate the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and the launch of two spectacular new trailers in livery specially designed for Into Somerset, the inward investment agency for Somerset.

Tessa Munt said she was delighted to have been asked to perform the official opening, and has followed Framptons’ progress with great interest, both as a successful local employer and through the involvement of Director Richard Fry as National Chairman of the Road Haulage Association and his work with the Government on the development of future transport policy.

Andrew Frampton, Managing Director of Framptons Transport Services, said, “These are exciting times for our business and for Shepton Mallet – we have generated over 50 additional jobs since June 2012 in preparation for the opening of this new Distribution Centre.”  The facility, which at 85,000 ft² increases the company’s total storage capacity to over 175,000 ft², was built as a result of a long-term collaboration between Framptons and leading pet food supplier Crown Pet Foods of Castle Cary and supported by HM Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

The two new Into Somerset trailers were also revealed for the first time.  These mobile bill boards with the curtain livery based on its ‘well connected’  advertising campaign and featuring prestige brands manufactured within the County will be travelling throughout Britain, showcasing Somerset manufacturing success stories.

Cllr Anne Fraser, Chair of Into Somerset, said she was thrilled to see the new liveried vehicles and that these would be a very striking representation of the success of Somerset industry which would be visible on motorways across the length and breadth of Britain.  Several publicity campaigns promoting Somerset as the destination of choice for businesses seeking to relocate would be created around the trailers over the next 3-5 years.

Into Somerset Trailer at Framptons Distribution Centre in Shepton Mallet

Images with thanks to ‘© A & B Photography Ltd’

Tessa Munt MP officially opens Framptons’ Mendip Distribution Centre

In the last fifteen years there have been numerous opportunities to discover more about Shepton Mallet’s Roman past, as the eastern side of the town, along the route of the Fosse Way has been gradually developed.  The Fosse Way ran between Exeter and Lincoln – and Shepton Mallet, situated about halfway between the better known towns of Bath and Ilchester, is thought to have been a strategically important military staging post.

Previous excavations close to the Fosse Way in Shepton Mallet have revealed extensive Roman habitations, coins, pottery and some lead coffins, so there was some interest in the archaeological investigation that preceded the building of Framptons’ new 85,000 sq ft Distribution Centre.  Framptons’ new DC is set back from the main road, away from the linear constructions along the route, and adjacent to land previously excavated, so realistically we were not expecting a ‘treasure trove’, and in the event some signs of Roman occupation were discovered, but were probably more useful in a wider historical context rather then of any significant individual value.

We engaged A O Archaeology to carry out the excavations and develop a strategy to deal with any finds.  Initial investigations were carried out using ‘non invasive’ technical equipment of the type we have become familiar with through programmes like ‘Time Team’.  All finds were fully recorded and when building finally commenced it was according to modern ‘best practice’ for the construction of commercial buildings in historically sensitive sites with foundations in the form of a ‘raft’, leaving deeper archaeology undisturbed.

Our Archaeology consultants have published an interim document, showing the coins and walls found during their excavations, which, for those interested in Roman history, can be read by following the link below.

http://www.aocarchaeology.com/news/the-hidden-roman-town

To move back to the present day, our storage facility is now nearly complete and we are very much looking forward to occupying the building from the end of December onwards.  This will be a premier quality, food-grade, fully racked warehouse, using state of the art IT systems and offering a wide range of services including picking full or mixed pallets, packing and labelling.  We would welcome enquiries from any companies seeking to outsource their storage and distribution operations.

Framptons’ Mendip Distribution Centre in Shepton Mallet, Somerset (on right)

Work is continuing apace on Framptons’ new distribution centre, and we were fortunate to be able to get some aerial shots last week.  We are still on schedule for the racking to be installed during November, and to be using the new facility in early 2013.

This project is being supported by HM Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

A longstanding member of the Framptons’ team, Roger Yeoman officially retired last Friday after many years’ association with the company.  Roger has been directly employed by Framptons for nearly twenty years,  but prior to that he worked as a contractor for the company when he constructed a stone parking area for about ten trailers in what was then a field at the back of the factory.  This was before both our current yard and the Crown Trading Estate where we are now situated was built.  Roger then became involved in several improvement projects in the egg processing factory, creating an egg store in an old cold store in the basement, making improvements to the access off Charlton Road and constructing the pit that formed the base of the egg powder drier.  Then in 1990, he undertook a major project with the groundwork for the first expansion away from the factory to build our first Freight Centre.  He became an employee of Framptons in 1993, when we joined a Parcels Network and was instrumental in setting up the service.  Roger recalls ‘We began trunking with a 17 tonne rigid and delivering with 7.5 tonne vehicle and two Mercedes vans.  In the early weeks I was doing all the administration myself from receiving the early trunk and despatching the night trunk.’

During the next twenty years, Roger helped shape the business that Framptons is today.  We relinquished the parcel business and joined Palletline and the Hazchem network focusing our efforts on the development of a highly successful pallet storage and distribution operation.  Roger has been heavily involved in overseeing the construction of all our warehouses, including his latest project, an 85,000 sq ft building currently being built and dealing with the complexities of the various IT systems we use in our warehouse, traffic office and administrative offices.

Roger Yeoman at Framptons’ new distribution centre

Roger said, ‘It has been very rewarding for me to come to work and see all around me my contributions to the sites Framptons operate on.  I am grateful to everyone that I have worked with in this family business for their support, and will continue to be around for the next few months until the new warehouse is completed and we have all the IT developed.’  Roger’s contribution to the growth and success of Framptons has been invaluable, his commitment to the business has been unrelenting and at times must have seemed to take over his entire life. We’d like to thank him for his hard work, enthusiasm, and kindness throughout many years at Framptons and hope he has a very long and happy retirement.

Alastair Peoples, the Chief Executive of the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA) had a first-hand perspective of an average day on the road thanks to an invitation from Somerset distribution company, Framptons Transport Services Ltd.

Mr Peoples met up with Framptons’ driver, Ian Henley, at their Shepton Mallet depot.  An early morning start meant that after all the routine vehicle checks had been completed, Alastair and Ian’s truck was soon negotiating Bristol and the M5 on its way to Warwick for a mid-morning timed delivery, before continuing to the Palletline hub in Birmingham to reload.

Mr Peoples commented, “I found the experience very interesting giving me a real insight into the driver’s profession. It was obvious to me from the moment I met Ian that he has immense pride in what he does and this is reflected in his courtesy for other drivers and his knowledge of his obligations as a driver. ‘

A common theme throughout my journey was the need for excellent team work, from Framptons’ pre-planning Ian’s journey to ensure he was within driver hour’s rules, to the slick operation at the loading bay for the return journey.

I want to thank Framptons’ Director and General Manager, Richard Fry for the invitation to spend a day with his driver Ian Henley.

I left with a clearer understanding of the challenges faced by drivers every day.”

Alastair Peoples, CEO of VOSA meets Framptons’ driver Ian Henley

It’s been amazing to see how the visual impact has changed as the steel structure on Framptons’ new distribution centre has gone up this week.  Exciting times!

Framptons’ new Distribution Centre in Shepton Mallet – a project supported by HM Government’s Regional Growth fund.

Much excitement at Framptons this week!  At the end of last week, we could just see the loading bays under construction at our new 80,000 square feet distribution centre in Shepton Mallet.  But now, the steel frame has arrived and at last we start to appreciate the scale of the building, which when finished at the beginning of 2013, will be one of the premier, food-grade storage facilities in the Mendip area. This project is being supported by HM Government’s Regional Growth Fund.

One of our employees, Pete Billing, has reached the milestone of 30 years’ continuous service. To mark this achievement his favourite Leyland DAF truck has been restored by local specialists Merlin Car & Commercials.

The truck was originally built in 1996 and is an N plated vehicle which was issued to Pete when he was working on general haulage delivering to destinations all around the UK.  Six years later, in 2002, Pete became trained as a Driving Standards Agency registered  LGV instructor and transferred to Framptons’ training division Mendip Transport Training and the vehicle was used for driver training for the next 5 years.

Pete later transferred to a different job, working on warehouse and yard shunting duties, but naturally keeping the same truck.  In June 2009 the truck was stolen from Framptons’ premises on a Sunday evening, but due to the diligence of another employee who noticed it being driven away and the satellite tracking system fitted in the cab, it was very quickly found  in South Wales and recovered back to Shepton Mallet.

Since then the Leyland DAF has continued to be a good and reliable workhorse and as a mark of Pete reaching his 30 year anniversary with the company the decision was taken to restore his pride and joy to its former glory.  Now the completely refurbished truck looks sparkling new and ready for many more years of service.

Everyone at Framptons Transport Services Ltd is extremely proud to be a member of Palletline as the co-operative celebrates being crowned ‘Network of the Year’ at the highly regarded Motor Transport Awards, which were held on 13th June at London’s Grosvenor Hotel.

The Palletline system is a crucial component of our service – it enables us to deliver your freight quickly and efficiently across the UK, within a trusted network of the UK’s top hauliers.  Network of the Year is the highest accolade that a palletised distribution network can get.

Over the last five years, Palletline has really pushed to distinguish itself as the industry’s premier network – and this is an important recognition of that achievement. It’s testament to the market leading level of service that Framptons and our fellow members strive to deliver on a daily basis to you and the many UK businesses that make up the backbone of Britain.

We’d also like to shout about the fact that this year’s shortlist was comprised solely of palletised distribution networks. This makes the win particularly significant for Palletline and a confirmation of its long held status as the industry’s most highly regarded network.

For more information on the awards, check out the website – http://motortransport.co.uk/awards/

And for more information on the other services Framptons Transport Services Ltd offers such as warehousing, full load, part load and groupage services in the UK and Europe, why not get in touch with our Business Development Manager, Gilly Walters on 01749 333405 and we’ll be happy to review your requirements in detail to see how we can best work together.