Growing Utilities Contractor selects Vanaways as vehicles partner

Above Image: Hannah Pearson Of Vanaways With Darren Wheatcroft, Left, And Director Craig Broadhurst Of CKR Utilities

A rapidly-expanding North West utilities contractor has selected Vanaways as its vehicle provider for its ongoing growth journey.

CKR Utilities, which is based in Heywood in Greater Manchester, has purchased seven Iveco Daily MWB vans. Previously they hired all of its 52 fleet vehicles.

As the company continues to grow – turnover is up to £8m in 2024 from £5m last year – CKR is now looking to expand its offering, starting with a traffic management division.

Meanwhile it continues to look to maintain cost-effectiveness of its operations, including vehicle expenditure.

Fleet manager Darren Wheatcroft met Hannah Pearson, Vanaways’ regional business development manager for the North and the Midlands, on LinkedIn.

She suggested that a bespoke funding method for vehicle purchase would provide significant cost savings. Mr Wheatcroft said the ratio purchased to hired vehicles at CKR was likely to increase over coming years.

“Like any business we are susceptible to a fluctuating workload,” he said, “so we need to be careful that we don’t buy more vehicles than we need.

“However it’s become clear that there are major advantages to buying vehicles both in terms of availability and long-term cost, so it makes sense logistically and financially.

“These won’t be the last vehicles that we buy. We’re looking to grow and we’ll need to continue to add vehicles to the fleet.

“Our vans have particular requirements as they need to be able to tow 3.5 tonnes, with a 7 tonne gross train weight. So it’s great to have a partner like Hannah who understands our business and its requirements.”

CKR was started by director Craig Broadhurst in 2009, as a two-man team working on a private leakage contract. Since then the business has grown to a team of 96 staff working across multiple contracts in the North West.

The company portfolio of works includes private leakage, plumbing works, repair and maintenance on the North West water network, as well as developer services, fibre installation, electricity network maintenance, civils projects and traffic light installation.

Vanaways is itself undergoing spectacular current growth, having moved into new offices in Ham Green near the M5 at Bristol early last year.

Company turnover has risen dramatically in 2023, while the business is on track to deliver sales on more than 6,000 vehicles in 2024.

Working with a vast network of suppliers across the UK, the company offers free delivery with a digitalised sales process which enables quick fulfilment of the customer’s fleet needs.

Ms Pearson said: “It’s great to be able to bring our full range of deals and suppliers to companies like CKR Utilities so we can genuinely offer them the solution that works best for them.

“There are some amazing fleet opportunities out there for companies which are able to think outside the box, and we enjoy helping open up those avenues.

“Whether it’s the cost benefits of electrical vehicles over diesel, or various finance packages which we can bring to the table, we get a real buzz out of partnering with customers who are looking to grow.

“Like any growing trades business, Craig, Darren and the team at CKR rely heavily on their vehicles so it’s a pleasure to be here for them on the company’s growth journey.”