We plant a tree for every truck we sell

10955

trees planted so far

Travis Perkins plc makes multi-million pound investment in up to 1,100 electric trucks from Briggs Equipment

Travis Perkins plc makes multi-million pound investment in up to 1,100 electric trucks from Briggs Equipment

Travis Perkins Group, the UK’s largest distributor of building materials, is accelerating its decarbonisation plan by switching out its fleet of diesel forklift trucks with up to 1,100 new electric machines by mid-2024.

This multi-million pound investment, which the Group refers to as ‘Project Switch’, will be facilitated by Briggs Equipment and is one of the largest forklift truck change programmes of its kind. At the centre of the project is the Travis Perkins plc fleet of diesel-powered forklift trucks being replaced with electric alternatives up to eight years ahead of schedule.

The new forklifts, provided by Briggs and manufactured by Yale, will feature the latest technology including; upgraded safety systems, an improved turning circle to improve site safety whilst also lessening stock and racking damage. These improvements will help reduce running costs of the machines, reduce downtime and ensure easier management of compliance.

Once the new trucks have been rolled out across the Group’s branch network, it is estimated Project Switch will reduce Travis Perkins plc Scope 1 carbon emissions by up to 6,600 tonnes per annum – equivalent to the carbon emissions of nearly 4,000 cars.

Project Switch is just one of the actions implemented by the Group to achieve 27% reduction in vehicle and plant fleet emissions by 2027. Other steps include trialling alternative fuels and providing training for drivers to ensure they operate the machinery and trucks in the most energy efficient way. Decarbonising its fleet is an integrated part of the Group’s decarbonisation roadmaps, which set out in detail how the Group plans to meet its ambitious 1.5°-aligned carbon reduction targets, which were announced by the Group in 2021 and accredited by the Science Based Targets initiative (‘SBTi’).

Sean Herrick, Briggs Equipment’s National Account Manager, commented: “This is a hugely significant project for both Travis Perkins and Briggs Equipment, and we are delighted to be continuing our long-term partnership and supporting their ongoing decarbonisation journey.

“We are committed to ensuring our customers can build effective carbon strategies that benefit all aspects of their operations. The decision from Travis Perkins plc to choose Briggs for Project Switch demonstrates their confidence in our capability to deliver a fully integrated, future proofed solution that will help reduce carbon footprint and enable key sustainability targets to be achieved.”

Alan Williams, CFO of the Travis Perkins Group and the Group’s decarbonisation sponsor, commented: “Construction has a key role to play in decarbonising the built environment and we are committed to lead on this in our own business, our supply chain and in the wider industry.

“This forklift truck investment demonstrates our ambitious decarbonisation strategy in action across our operations. Project Switch will also positively impact our customers’ carbon footprint by reducing their Scope 3 emissions which remains a top priority for the Group.”

Scroll to Top