Investment sees ATE Truck and Trailer Sales pass the 20,000 barrier

ATE Truck and Trailer Sales hit the milestone with an order for a 26 tonne curtain-sider truck from a Lancashire haulage firm.

The company, set up in 2000, sells used trucks and trailers from 7.5 tons up to 44 ton articulated lorries. The 20,000 sale milestone was for a 2007 MAN TGA 26.320 was ordered by Naylors Transport (Leyland) and was specially extended to 28 feet, repainted and with new curtains.

Two years ago the directors decided to increase their efforts in truck sales by recruiting more sales staff and investing in new facilities at Wolverhampton including a dedicated retail truck sales centre.

It now sits alongside the company's workshops and existing services at the Boundry Industrial Estate site, which include an 18 metre low bake spray oven, two blast shot bays, an extensive paint shop, fabrication bay, four service and MOT preparation bays, a truck wash and two valet bays.

ATE, which also runs an operation in Bruntingthorpe, in Leicestershire, also decided to increase the amount of stock at Wolverhampton by acquiring end-of-llease equipment from finance companies.

The result has seen a dramatic jump in the sales of trucks which now account for 37 per cent of units sold as opposed to around 10 per cent previously with the remaining 63 per cent in trailers, many of which are re-furbished or converted using ATE's in-house facilities.

ATE has also enjoyed an increase in the amount of business going for export with trucks and trailers heading for the roads of Africa, the Middle East, all over Europe and even South America

Managing director James Jenkins said: "Our decision to expand the truck sales side of the business has really paid dividends as has the investment in the new facilities. It took us eight years to reach 10,000 sales but only half that time to hit the 20,000 mark."

"I'd like to thank all our customers for their support but special thanks should go to the staff for their hard work and for the first class customer service they deliver every day."

Mr Jenkins said his firm were now looking at further developments on the Wolverhampton site. It is currently in the process of installing an authorised testing facility which would allow HGV MOT testing to be done on site.

ATE is now looking for other businesses to run a body shop, paint shop and repair workshop alongside the new testing facility to provide a "one-stop shp" for customers looking to repair or improve their fleet.