Staff at haulage firm Christian Salvesen are involved in choosing its next
fleet of lorries and influencing truck design, thanks to a new initiative.
The company organised a fleet evaluation day in Stoke, where 50 workers from
17 of its depots talked directly with officials from seven manufacturers about
how they would like to see truck design evolve.
Ray Barnes, HR director at Christian Salvesen, said the idea came about
after an internal communications survey last year.
"They [the drivers] were really keen to know about the vehicles we were
purchasing," he said.
Barnes said the fleet evaluation day was developed to include drivers,
trainers and warehouse workers.
He added that the manufacturers were eager to hear what the staff at
Christian Salvesen had to say.
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The evaluations will directly determine the purchase of 200 vehicles over
the next year.
"There are good commercial reasons for doing this. If people feel
involved they get more satisfaction, which leads to better customer service and
improved profitability," Barnes said.
