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Leicester-based Premier Logistics has opened its own repair and maintenance facility, as part of its growth strategy.

The £60,000 facility has been constructed at the Pall-Ex member's headquarters on the Meridian Business Park.  It opened late last month and provides MOTs, pre-test inspections and servicing. It will handle  both the company’s internal fleet requirements as well as third parties.

Premier Logistics MD Lee Christopher, said:  "Bringing the maintenance in-house will save money but it also allows me to offer an external feature to my customers [such as Samworth Brothers, Yodel and TNT]. If you stand still, you just get swallowed up in this game."

Christopher, a former driver who set up Premier Logistics in 2004, said that with annual turnover at £10m he had aspirations to double this through acquisitions this year with backing from his bank. "We’ve got a very good bank, Natwest, we supply good figures. It’s a partnership."

To support growth, Christopher has ordered 10 Mercedes-Benz Euro-5 New Actros units via Mertrux on a three-year hire purchase deal for delivery this September to be used for trunking and groupage in the UK and a drop-trailer service to Ireland. The trucks, which come with a two-year R&M package, will ultimately take the fleet to 65 and will be owned outright, because "if you’re paying all that money every month I like to get something back".

Premier Logistics has also recently taking delivery of a 30 trailers from SDC in a mixture of configurations including double decks, and equipped with a mixture of tail lifts and Moffetts forklifts.

The operator, which has been with Pall-Ex for around four years has grown to be on of its biggest inputters putting on average 2,500 pallets through the network a week.

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