Growing stronger together

It’s now 25 years since Glen Cameron Group Director, Glen Cameron tentatively decided to buy his first Vawdrey trailer.

Vawdrey Australia, in those days, was located at Braeside, and Glen vividly remembers the day he walked in and spoke with the company’s founder Mick Vawdrey.

“I recall being a bit reluctant at the time as this was Vawdrey’s first attempt to enter a big market with some big players,” Glen says.

“But I also remember shaking Mick Vawdrey’s hand with him looking me straight in the eye and attesting that he would 100 per cent stand behind his brand and specifically the new trailer I was buying.”

Glen adds that Mick proved to be a man of his word and the two men, and their respective companies, have had a mutually beneficial working relationship ever since.

“The fact that Vawdrey was, and still is, a great family business gave me considerable comfort and confidence when I purchased the first trailer,” Glen says.

“Since then, we have purchased hundreds of Vawdrey trailers and the support from Vawdrey remains as strong today as the day we shook hands 25 years ago.”

Cameron’s latest Vawdrey trailer order includes 13 Titeliners (curtain-siders) and two Iceliner dry freight vans which are decked out with a very specific set of safety and operational requirements.

“It was also critical that the trailers were delivered within in a very tight timeframe where the team at Vawdrey not only met, but exceeded our expectations on both fronts,” Glen says.

He explains that the Glen Cameron Group has been providing logistics services for Woolworths supermarkets and variety store brands for about 16 years now, with the new trailers loading out of the new Big W distribution centre at Hoppers Crossing (Vic) delivering to Big W stores throughout Victoria.

“Long held relationships, like we have with Vawdrey and indeed our other key suppliers, are critical to providing us with the best in equipment so that, in turn, we can successfully maintain our long-term relationships with our customers,” Glen says.

Also speaking about the recent order of 15 Vawdrey trailers for the Glen Cameron Group, Paul Vawdrey, Director at Vawdrey Australia and son of Mick, remarks that as a proud Australian trailer manufacturer, the company is pleased to be an ongoing supplier of top-quality equipment to a fine, long-standing Australian transport company like Glen Cameron Group.

“We manufacture the fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) panels at our Dandenong facility that are used to construct the Iceliner dry freight vans – such as the ones ordered by Glen Cameron Group – as well as our freezer and chiller rated range of Iceliners,” says Paul.

“As such, each of our trailers is specifically designed and manufactured to meet and exceed the requirements of our customers operating under harsh Australian conditions.”

The 24-pallet space Titeliners ordered by Glen Cameron Group feature a number of safety features to satisfy the requirements of the transporter’s customers.

For example, they have air-operated pop-up coaming rail barriers which prevent a forklift from careering off the side of the trailer during rear dock loading or unloading.

Also used are Super-Strap curtains, load rated to 1,430kg per pallet space, which eliminate the need for gates in general freight applications.

Another important benefit when loading is the wedge shape of the roof which tapers from the back to the front, thus providing more headroom as the trailer is loaded.

The Australian manufactured Whiting rear roller door features a clever UBIS interlocking system which electronically interfaces with the WABCO Electronic Braking System, supplied by Air Brake Systems. This prevents the trailer brakes from being released if the roller door is open.

External safety features include JOST landing legs with high visibility yellow painted feet and aluminium side under-run protection. There is also a set of steps at the rear to provide safe personnel access into the rear of the trailer.

Hella LED lighting is used exclusively for both external and internal lighting, while Vawdrey Supalite polished alloy wheels set the trailers off nicely while also providing a useful reduction in tare weight over steel equivalents.

With all the safety features incorporated into its new Vawdrey trailers, the Glen Cameron Group can satisfy the requirements of its customers and at the same time provide the safest possible equipment for its valued drivers.

Fast Fact
With a strong business relationship stretching back 25 years, the Glen Cameron Group recently reaffirmed its support for local trailer manufacturer Vawdrey Australia with a large order of trailers for supermarket and variety store delivery work.