Stay cool: how Brivio & Viganò maintains the temperature of its deliveries

Economics & Logistics

Still fresh at the destination.

Every day Brivio & Viganò delivers fresh produce to supermarket chains with a fleet of refrigerated vehicles. And the Actros plays a key role.

Expert in long-distance haulage: 90 percent of the vehicles in the Brivio & Viganò fleet are from Mercedes‑Benz.


Delivering to retail companies demands a very thorough organisation and that ever-efficient vehicles are always available. Lombardy‑based Brivio & Viganò has successfully mastered this challenge thanks to the experience of both its founders, Luigi Brivio and Giovanni Viganò, a distinct focus on its customers and the continuous introduction of innovations.


Demanding contractors.

The ten vehicles are used to deliver fresh produce to dozens of Italian supermarkets. “Haulage at controlled temperatures has always been our area of expertise and all of the vehicles, whether they are tractor/semitrailer combinations, tractor/trailer combinations or individual trucks, are equipped with a refrigerated load compartment with thermal insulation,” Alessandro Viganò, the company’s fleet manager, explains. “Companies like ours who work for large-scale retail firms have few contractors, but they are very demanding. These customers expect a comprehensive service which includes everything from storage to the preparation of loads, from scheduled transportation to daily deliveries to points of sale and more recently, within the context of e-commerce, right up to the customers’ front door. Furthermore, customers are also placing increasing importance on safety and environmental sustainability. This means that hauliers must continually adjust infrastructures and their fleets to meet the needs of their contractors.”


The introduction of the Actros into the fleet provides for this development completely. Brivio & Viganò is well-acquainted with the models produced by the brand with a star which now make up 90 percent of the heavy-duty vehicles in the company’s fleet. The fleet comprises 155 towing vehicles, 150 solo tractor/semitrailer combinations, 4 tractor/trailer combinations, 218 light-duty vehicles and 280 semitrailers. “The main criterion for choosing vehicles is their operating costs. With that in mind, we attach great importance to maintenance and in this regard Mercedes‑Benz delivers the best performance. The Actros also achieve good results with regard to fuel consumption – the latest generation achieves a reduction of up to three percent on motorways and major roads and up to five percent on other extra-urban roads.”


New logistics platform.

Brivio & Viganò was able to verify these figures itself thanks to the Actros 1485 trucks in the company fleet. Alessandro Viganò had the opportunity to test the new Actros in advance and was thus able to get an idea of the many new innovations. “ MirrorCam and  Active Drive Assist are significant innovations in the commercial vehicle sector which I tested personally. The cameras, for example, provide a better view than the inside rearview mirror when the vehicle is in reverse gear and I am convinced that they will contribute towards reducing damage incurred while manoeuvring and increase safety when driving on roads.”



In 2018, the company opened a new, large logistics platform in Pozzuolo Martesana very close to Milan which has more than 23,000 square metres of temperature-controlled storage space. This facility complements the existing storage complexes in Usmate Velate, near Milan’s fruit and vegetable market and in the Roman municipality of Pomezia. The company’s Spanish subsidiary was also established in 2018; it specialises in the storage and transportation of fruit and vegetables across the whole of the Iberian peninsula. “One particular focus for us is ecological sustainability, both with regard to building warehouses and managing the fleet,” Alessandro Viganò adds. “With regard to the vehicles, we choose those with the most efficient engines – like the Actros  – and in urban areas we are experimenting with diesel-electric hybrid vehicles. We have been using three FUSO Canter Hybrid vehicles in the centre of Milan since January 2019.”


Photos: Michele Latorre

No comments yet