When Northfuels and Southfuels merged with Farmlands Fuel, creating the Fern Energy brand, the task of rebranding their fleet of vehicles fell into the capable hands of Speedy Signs. With a long-standing relationship and experience in wrapping the truck fleets of both Northfuels and Southfuels, the Speedy Signs team knew precisely what was required for this colossal project.
James Hunter, sales manager at Speedy Signs Riccarton, has managed all aspects of the project. The process began by meticulously mapping out the logistics for the rebranding, starting with the specifications of the various truck models used by all three companies. The scope of work includes 70 plus truck units to be done, each consisting of a truck cab, truck tank, and trailer tank, 50 Ford Ranger utes, and a new headquarters office. With such a large scope there have been many unique challenges facing the team.
Although wrapping the vehicles alone is a reasonably straightforward task due to their experienced installers, one of the main struggles is time, with each fleet vehicle taking a serious amount of it. It takes good planning and execution and the Speedy Signs team have been knocking this out of the park.
The geographical dispersion of the fleet across New Zealand would be a huge hurdle for other signage companies. However, by taking advantage of the near 30 Speedy Signs national locations James can maintain quality and timeframes no matter the region.
Another challenge that is common in the signage industry is temperature. All vinyls have ideal installation temperatures, and with daily temperatures fluctuating widely in New Zealand the installers have to adapt their environment to suit, achieving this with heaters, heat guns and thorough post heating.
Prior to a fuel truck’s arrival, James receives a certification from the engineers confirming all fuel has been removed from the tank, complying with their health and safety rules and allowing the team to use heat on the tanks.
With trucks traversing country roads and farm tracks, tar and dirt has to be thoroughly removed before wrapping can begin. Even the smallest particle of dust can cause the vinyl to lift and fail once back on the road. With every minute the truck is taken off the road costing the customer money, the team needs to be certain of as perfect a finish as possible.
When any amount of time off the road causes significant cost implications, minimising downtime is obviously critical. As project manager, James coordinates each unit to be in the right place at the right time, emptied of fuel, stripped, cleaned, and installers ready with a fresh set of graphics to have them wrapped within the planned time frame.
Speedy Signs’ expertise and highly efficient project management has ensured that Fern Energy’s massive fleet rebranding is being executed smoothly and efficiently, despite the challenges posed by the project. It highlights the importance of choosing an experienced and efficient partner, as well as the value of seamless coordination and attention to detail in delivering outstanding results.
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