A haulage firm has expanded a manufacturing facility at its site in Gloucestershire following record demand for its services.
The Cullimore Group of Companies operates a fleet of more than 80 vehicles and has a number of divisions that provide specialist services, such as concrete mixing.
The group’s fabrication business has expanded into a new warehouse at the 90-year-old family-run firm's Netherhills headquarters near the villages of Whitminster and Frampton-on-Severn.
The company said the new warehouse is three times the size of the previous one, allowing it to work on four lorries at any given time. As well as widening the space, the firm said it was looking to trial a 24-hour maintenance operation later this year.
Managing director Moreton Cullimore said the expansion came off the back of a strong performance for the group’s HGV MOT testing operation, as a result of a backlog caused by the pandemic.
Mr Cullimore added the concrete mixing arm of the group, Cullimore Mix, had reported the strongest November and December trading period in its 50-year history.
To meet the demand for its fabrication service, the company said it had also invested in new welding equipment, including a state-of-the-art plasma cutter.
Mr Cullimore said: “While commercial vehicles will naturally be our primary focus, we can also template corporate images into metal as well as fabricate gates and railings.
“Welding is a dying art, which is why I’m excited to bring something unique to both our business and the areas we operate in. The new equipment will aid us at the Cullimore Group to make full use of the warehouse space and the capabilities of our team as we play our part in clearing this backlog.”
Cullimore Group has five locations across Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The company’s vehicles often bear the names of characters from the stories of Charles Dickens. It adopted the practice during the Second World War when shortages meant the company’s lorries couldn’t be identified by their distinctive green paint scheme.
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