75 years of Lenham Storage

2021 has been an important year for Mercedes-Benz Trucks, which saw three anniversaries: 75 years of the Unimog, 25 years of the Actros and 125 years of the world's first truck. As for Lenham Storage, the family-owned and run storage and distribution provider accomplished 75 years of continued service this year. Read on to discover how the Kent-based business prides itself on having traditional values that meet modern technology.

Having the right tools to do the job.

Since 1946, Lenham Storage has been a market leading specialist in ambient grocery and FMCG storage and distribution. The company has done this by always maintaining a personalised approach, by working in partnership with its customers, by fostering long-term relationships and by doing this through dedicated client management.

Lenham is responsible for storing and distributing ambient grocery products nationwide. With storage capacity in excess of 85,000 pallets, more than 13,000 pallets will be distributed every week from the company’s four sites across the South and East of England.

In 2021, when it came to celebrating 75 years of Lenham, MD Keith Abrehart decided to set a challenge for Operations Director Andrew Fulcher and Commercial Director Matt Richards. He wanted to celebrate their company’s milestone in a unique and extravagant way that could be instantly recognised by staff past and present, customers and the general public. Luckily for Andrew and Matt, the ideal source of inspiration came without having to look too far.

Andrew explained: “Lenham was likely one of the first UK operators to run Mercedes-Benz Trucks in the late 1960s. In the year 2000, Lenham had the honour of collecting the 100,000^th Mercedes-Benz truck destined for the UK, from the Wörth factory in Germany. Five years ago, our company celebrated its 70^th anniversary, where an entire fleet of Mercedes-Benz Trucks were lined-up outside our warehouse. So, as you can tell, we’re proud of our long-term commitment to Mercedes-Benz and the brand has featured in several Lenham milestones. Celebrating anniversaries helps Lenham reflect on what we’ve done so far and helps us see what we can do to improve for tomorrow. This helps us keep moving forward as a business and to forge even deeper connections with our clients.”

Andrew added: “Looking back to look forward, was the method Matt and I used to generate a unique, eye-catching and nostalgic way to celebrate this important milestone in the company’s long history. In our nine-decade existence, our trucks have displayed several liveries, each representing an optimistic look at the future growth of our company and what we have stood for at that time. Over much of that period, we have also relied upon Mercedes-Benz Trucks to help us move goods nationwide.”

Anniversary trucks driven by nostalgia.

It was this nostalgia that led to Keith Abrehart (MD, and whose grandfather started the business) Andrew and  Matt agreeing that the best way to celebrate 75 years of success was through replicating some of the company’s classic liveries to a selection of its latest trucks.

Andrew said: “Lenham recently unveiled three Mercedes-Benz Actros models, all wearing different liveries to the world through social media, each representing a different decade from our illustrious history. The first truck is painted in Light Brunswick Green and County Cream. Lenham originally used this livery in the 1960s, which can also be seen on MEG our Mercedes-Benz LS1418 truck, which we have in our classic collection.”

Matt added: “Our second Actros truck is a throwback to the 1970s, when the trucks were painted in Olive Grey and Chocolate Brown. While the third truck is a throwback to the 1990s, when they were painted in Aircraft Blue.”

The attention to detail brought back memories for the pair. Andrew added: “To connect the 1990s truck livery even more to the past, the Lenham logos are originals from back in the day that we found in our stores. And to showcase the milestone even further to a wider range of truck fans, Lenham proudly offered the anniversary trucks for pace truck duties. We recently did this on 6-7 November, at the sixth round of the British Truck Racing Championships (BTRA), held at the famous Brands Hatch circuit.”

- Andrew Fulcher

Why choose Mercedes-Benz Trucks decade after decade?

What is the rationale behind one of the longest UK haulage operators rating the Mercedes-Benz Trucks brand, its vehicles and services so highly? The reasons are everything the German truck manufacturer could have hoped for.

Andrew said: “Firstly, it’s reliability, we need to provide great service to our customers, but we have to do it when we say we’re going to do it. There’s a cachet to the Mercedes-Benz brand, which in turn generates customer satisfaction in Lenham as a business. We also can’t deny that Mercedes-Benz Trucks are towards the top of their rival manufacturers, in terms of fuel economy and therefore sustainability, which is very important to us. In turn, this helps with driver recruitment, as nearly all drivers agree that it’s a well-regarded brand. And of course, we have a great relationship with the local Mercedes-Benz truck dealer service centre, which is imperative to the business, because when our vehicles are back, we need them to be ready to work.”

Matt added: “We’re passionate about our customers and the faces representing our business are our drivers who we are keen to show we value. That is why we aim to please when it comes to the high standard of the vehicles our drivers use. 60% of Lenham’s truck fleet are Mercedes-Benz Trucks, of which we primarily use the Actros model. We use rigid and tractor configurations on our trucks, and we even use the brand’s range of Sprinter vans. Many drivers appreciate the higher specifications of our Mercedes-Benz fleet, and the majority have enjoyed the newer technology advancements such as MirrorCam in the Actros model. The overall impression I get from the drivers from the Mercedes-Benz fleet, are that the vehicles are intuitive, and they know what they’re getting. They also find them user-friendly, comfortable, and find the technology is accessible.”

Lenham Storage’s commitment to sustainability.

In these climate aware times, Lenham are passionate about the environment, and have been aiming to improve their levels of sustainability across their business for several years.

Andrew said: “Lenham has a track record with trialling natural gas and dual-fuel vehicles. Around 10 years ago, we were one of two companies in the UK to trial the Mercedes-Benz Atego hybrid trucks. We were always keen to improve the efficiency of our fleet and lower our carbon footprint.”

Matt added: “Just like Lenham, our customer base is keen on sustainability, companies are more climate aware and 3PL providers with the most environmentally friendly fleets are   more attractive to the businesses we work with. We want to be at the forefront where we can, when it comes to sustainability. We would love to be running electric or hydrogen trucks, to help decarbonise UK freight, but the technology and infrastructure isn’t quite there yet. When the technology is ready, we’re ready to embrace and adapt. We’re closely following Mercedes-Benz Trucks and BP, who are looking to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure and introduce hydrogen powered fuel-cell trucks in the UK from 2025.  

What does the future hold for Lenham storage?

Lenham has existed for 75 years, so what’s been key to its success? Andrew describes it as steady, sustainable growth of the business. By working with growing existing customers and bringing on new ones, enables them to work with well together. It’s clear though that growing their business is to do it in a measured, sustainable way.

Andrew added: “We’re continually learning, and the pandemic has taught us valuable lessons. If you could’ve said before the Coronavirus pandemic that our office staff would switch to working from home, some drivers would retire because of health concerns, the driver shortages of the past decade would intensify - and we would have panic buying leading to a surge in demand for us to deliver pasta, toilet roll and kitchen roll – I would’ve said we wouldn’t be able to cope. But we learned to adapt, just like everyone else.”

Matt said: “As for the future of Lenham, we will be doing more of the same, but expanding our geographic reach, as we recently acquired a business giving us a new site in Norwich. Driver availability has been a problem for a decade, but like Andrew said, this has been more noticeable this year. Reasons for this include Brexit, Coronavirus concerns, the IR35 tax legislation. But at the same time, we are pleased to have retained the majority of our 200-strong loyal drivers on a long-term basis.

“To attract and retain driver loyalty, we’ve begun recruitment campaigns, and we have our own driver training school. We also offer favourable working conditions, with family orientated shifts, as well as a fleet with an attractive specification of trucks. Now our business is in the seasonal peak in the run up to Christmas, where service is key. We are very proud and grateful to our staff, that we’ve maintained service levels throughout the pandemic and in this year’s build-up to Christmas”

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