The manufacturer of Nestlé Cereals, Cereal Partners UK (CPUK) has invested in its first electric truck, as it continues to work towards its commitment of being net zero by 2050.
The new Electric Heavy Goods Vehicle, a Volvo FM Battery Electric, will be based at CPUK’s factory in Staverton, Wiltshire and will primarily be used to transport the company’s brands, Shredded Wheat and Shreddies, to its distribution centre in Melksham.
Additionally, the electric vehicle will be used to deliver CPUK’s full portfolio, which also includes Cheerios®, Nesquik® and GoFree® Cereal, from the Melksham distribution centre to customers in the surrounding areas and to move pallets around the Staverton site.
The new e-truck has been in operation since December and is already proving to be less disruptive when making deliveries in the local area, creating less noise and fewer emissions. CPUK has also invested in a 160kW DC Electric Vehicle charger at its distribution centre, allowing the e-truck to be recharged in just two hours.
Since the e-truck became operational at the end of last year, CPUK has been monitoring its performance to understand its maximum delivery radius capacity.
This investment is just one of many ways that CPUK is feeding into the wider Nestlé UK and Ireland commitments of both halving its emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. CPUK is aligned with these two goals and also committed to a 20% reduction in its emissions by 2025, which it is set to achieve this year ahead of schedule.
The cereal maker is achieving these milestones in line with its net zero roadmap for logistics, which contains several stages of transformation, including full implementation of LED lighting in its warehouses, resulting in a 23% reduction in energy usage vs 2021. CPUK is also exploring options for intermodal transportation for imported goods following the implementation of short sea solutions, and improvements in vehicle capacity utilisation.
In the last year Nestlé UK and Ireland has also launched bio LNG trucks, and begun trials on products being moved by rail containers and electric shunters.
More broadly, CPUK has been transforming the way it works and in addition to how it makes and delivers its products, it is also starting to focus on how it sources its ingredients. In 2022, CPUK launched the Nestlé Wheat Plan – an innovative sustainable farming initiative that forms partnerships with British wheat farmers to support the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.
Patryk Zmaczyński, head of supply chain & procurement at CPUK, said: “As we continue to evolve our operations to be more sustainable, the purchase of our first electric truck marks a notable landmark in our aim our commitment of being net zero by 2050. We have been early adopters of electric vehicles and continue to invest significantly in the technology. The investment in the vehicle and charging point will enable us to start to deliver our much-loved brands to our customers in a way that has a reduced impact on the environment.”
