Scania : Frode Laursen expands with Scania

Scania will meet 80 percent of Frode Laursen's truck requirements over the next 18 months, in an agreement that includes full service contracts. The leading Danish food distributor is expanding into the Swedish market, and has already ordered 170 new trucks since January, ranging from Scania R 410 to R 520 vehicles.

'This is part of our strategy to grow in the Scandinavian countries, both in warehousing and transport,' says Frode Laursen's Managing Director Thorkil Andersen.

He explains that the Total Cost of Ownership has been decisive rather than the brand. 'If the total cost from the outset is not competitive, the brand will not qualify.'

Scania's extensive workshop network in Scandinavia was another major consideration. Frode Laursen has added customised flexible repair and maintenance contracts for many of its new vehicles. With this service, Scania customises maintenance activity based on operational data collected and transmitted from the Scania Communicator unit on the truck. The workshop continuously monitors operations and signals when service is needed.

'With this agreement, we expect that our trucks will run longer and spend less time in the workshop,' explains Andersen.

Sustainability has also been a key consideration for Frode Laursen and the new trucks all have the Scania Driver Support system, which enables the driver to assess his or her driving performance. Additionally, Frode Laursen makes use of the Scania Fleet Management system to monitor fuel consumption.

'We have selected the most fuel-efficient engines to optimise performance and reduce carbon emissions,' says Andersen.

Frode Laursen is one of Scandinavia's fastest growing providers of one-stop logistics in food, construction materials and oil distribution. It has more than 2,000 full-time employees and owns more than 500 trucks with an additional affiliated 350 transporters.