PRACTICAL PACTON CITY TRAILER FOR VAN KEULEN, BECAUSE EVERY MINUTE COUNTS

5 October 2018

Van Keulen Wood and Building Material from Amsterdam has recently reinforced their distribution activities with a new Pacton biaxial curtainside semi-trailer.  For flexible delivery to both professionals and private individuals, the trailer is a short execution with  a liftable front axle is and a steered rear axle.  This enhances manoeuvrability, especially when facing the challenges of city dispatch.   General director Rene van Griensven claims that this practical city trailer offers even more than that and proudly states that very few people can say that they have the exact same semi-trailer.  

With 23,000 different delivery addresses annually throughout the Netherlands, but concentrated mostly in the Greater Amsterdam region, paying attention to ones fleet is a must.  The practical city trailer (type TBD.233.T-EKP1) for Van Keulen is supplied with multiple smart elements for supple and functional everyday use.  For example, the semi-trailer has been supplied with special, pneumatically operated extendable beams at the rear to facilitate express transport of a truck-mounted forklift.  The tarpaulins have been fitted with a quick fit/release mechanism that has been developed by Pacton and is TUV-certified.  With this mechanism, the tarpaulins on each side can be opened and closed within seconds, with one simple sliding motion.  The tarpaulins have been coated with a special dirt-repellent agent and delivered by Pacton, completely lettered and mounted.

An optimally equipped fleet according to Van Griensven, is of the utmost importance.  The importance thereof becomes clearly noticeable in the city centres, where deliveries must be done quickly and efficiently to limit the strain to traffic.  Every second counts.  Van Griensven says that the new Pacton semi-trailer has been equipped optimally to accomplish this. 

The short execution of the city trailer is 10,6 m in length with a gross vehicle weight of 33,000 kg.  Besides the 24 lashing rings on both sides, the hart line has also been fitted with an additional 20 lashing rings to optimise the flexible layout of the hardwood floor.  Furthermore, the floor has been fitted with six rows of lashing rings.  The front row, against the bulkhead, serves both as storage and to level the bulkhead.  Van Keulen Wood and Building Material is able to arrange the load floor easily to accommodate the various part loads for the day. 

Manoeuvrability 

Van Keulen Wood and Building Material uses the new Pacton semi-trailer for everyday distribution.  The company delivers ordered products within one work day throughout the Netherlands, and even within three hours in Amsterdam!  Van Griensven explains that it is possible due to their unique position in the market, having their own fleet that has been customised to deliveries in the city centres.  He adds that they are able to deliver everywhere and up to a height of 28 m with the commissioning of their compact crane lorries. 

The new Pacton semi-trailer has also been built with manoeuvrability in mind.  The SAF air suspension of the curtainsider has a tandem-axle with disc brakes, with a rated capacity of 9,000 kg each.  The rear axle is mounted on a turntable and is steered by means of a steering bar from the coupling.  The front axle is fitted with an automatic axle lift through the EBS and a switch to turn the system off.  The steering system has been executed with central grease lubrication.  The semi-trailer has been fitted with a Wabco Smart board and an array of working lights.  Working lights have also been fitted on the centre pivot plate where it steers along with the steering shaft.  Besides that, the semi-trailer has also been fitted with a reversing camera, mechanical landing gear from Jost Modul (capacity 2 x 12,000 kg, two speeds and sliding rocking feet) and a stainless steel toolbox  on the left hand side in front of the axle bogie. 

Own fleet 

Van Keulen Wood and Building Material has been active since 1909 and is currently a dynamic feeder organization for wood and building material.  A complete range of wood, building material, tools, work clothing and personal safeguarding are available in the building shop for both the professional as well as the hobbyist.  Van Keulen is easily accessible in Amsterdam-North from the A10 ring.  Customers are welcomed in the coffee corner where the first cup of coffee is ready bright and early.  Wood, sheet material and other building supplies can be found in the warehouse from 5:30 on working day.  The building shop opens at 6:30.

The city trailer supplied by Pacton, is acquired as a substitute and is as a matter of fact, the only semi-trailer in the fleet of Van Keulen Wood and Building Material.  The company is in possession of 16 company cars, most of which have flatbeds and truck-mounted cranes.  The compact cars have been built on the chassis of garbage trucks, making them extremely manoeuvrable  and ideal to put to use in difficult streets.  In addition, they are in possession of a tipper, a truck with tauplin built up and the Pacton city trailer.  These are mainly used on the outskirts of cities and beyond.  This is the first Pacton semi-trailer for Van Keulen Wood and Building Material.  The company has been part of the French Saint-Gobain Building Distribution since 2007 and they had positive experiences with Pacton in the past.  The DAF-dealer has also spoken highly of Pacton.  Van Griensven explains that the work ethic of Pacton fits their wishes for customisation and quality.  The final product is designed for quick and fluent logistics to the benefit of both their clients, as well as for traffic on the road and in the city.