AW Trailers

email: [email protected] NATIONAL FARMER 39

20 YEARS & GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

With an eye for detail, an emphasis on value formoney and a loyal customer base, AW Trailershas built up a national following among the

trailer-buying community. David Nicholson reports.Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, AW Trailers is

going from strength to strength. The Herefordshire-basedtrailer manufacturer began life in 1993 with just five staff,producing a limited range, but now has more than 25employees producing upwards of 400 trailers per year fora growing range of customers nationwide.

“We pride ourselves on looking after our customers,”says Managing Director Andrew Watkins from companyheadquarters in Madley, near Hereford. “This means alot to them and to our dealers. They need to be able torely on us to provide excellent assistance.”

AW Trailers works with a network of around 30 dealersacross the UK, with particular concentrations in theSouthwest, in Wales and the Midlands.

The company will provide anything from a two-tontrailer up to 35-ton equipment, both through its standardrange and according to customer-specifications.

Large enough to be cost-effective and small enough

to do custom-build”AW Trailers PutsCustomers First

Wye CylinderEngineering Ltd designand manufacturehydraulic cylinders.WCE manufacture astandard range ofcylinders that can besupplied from stock.They also supply a widerange of hydrauliccylinders for a largenumber of differentapplications some ofwhich are supplied tosome very well knownOEMs within a variety ofindustry sectors.

Wye Cylinder Engineering Ltd403 Netherwood Rd, Rotherwas Ind Est., Hereford HR2 6JU

T: 01432 355454 F: 01432 358727E: [email protected]: www.wye-cylinder.co.uk

Commercial spectipping cylinders

Stock cylinders

NATIONAL FARMER email: [email protected]

Trend towardshigher spec“It’s important to keep up with whatcustomers are looking for”“Weʼre big enough to be cost-effective and small enough todo custom-build,” adds Andrew. He notes that there is atrend towards higher spec trailers, as customers spot extrasthat theyʼd like and request them. Equally, there is a greatersophistication among the customer base, says Andrew. “Wesee a trend emerging, where people are a lot more aware:theyʼre looking at what they do and asking whether they canachieve more with two 18-ton trailers rather than four 12-tontrailers. Theyʼre aiming to be more efficient.”

Last yearʼs extraordinary conditions have certainly affectedthe market, according to Andrew. “People are looking atflotation-quality tyres and floating axles,” he says. Itʼs goingto be a ʻdelicateʼ year, he believes, since the farmingcommunity took the brunt of the sodden conditions in 2012,although he argues that AW Trailers is in an excellent positionto respond to the needs of its customers, producing whatevernew specifications they need.


Manufacturing

Attwoolls Manufacturing isa textile productsmanufacturing companybased in Gloucestershire,specialising in custommade and off the shelftextile products.

Originally founded in1936, Attwoolls hasexpanded into one of thelargest textile productsmanufacturing companiesin the UK.

During this expansion wehave maintained areputation as a caringcompany, where eachcustomer is given the bestpersonal attention down tothe last finest detail.

Bristol Road, Whitminster, Gloucester GL2 7LX Telephone: 01452 742211

Email: [email protected]: www.attwoollsmanufacturing.co.uk


Two main camps…As a generalisation, AW Trailersʼ customers fall into two maincamps: the large agricultural contractors who look afterbetween 10 and 20 farms and have a fleet of high-spectrailers, including bale, muck and other trailers with all thetrimmings, and family group farmers with their own specificrequirements. Andrewʼs life is made simpler, thanks to hisstrong links with dealers, since many family farmers will callup a dealer in June or July and ask for a 26-foot bale trailer.“And they get one of ours,” he says cheerfully.

AW Trailers is itself a family concern, with Andrewʼs wifeDonna acting as company secretary and his stepson Kevfirmly engaged in the business. Born and brought up inHereford, Andrew has always based his operations here,close to the border between England and Wales.

When there are demands for higher-specification orcustomised trailers, dealers will bring customers in to thecompany factory and a collaborative design will emerge, withinput from AW Trailers and the customer, with the dealerlooking after financial issues. Around half of the companyʼsannual output is customised equipment.

Customers today are particularly interested in newsuspension gear, such as hydraulic or air-based suspension,says Andrew. Theyʼre also looking increasingly at trailers withadjustable tilting mechanisms. “Weʼre investigating all theseareas, along with ʻpush-to-emptyʼ type trailers,” he says. “Itʼsimportant to keep up with what customers are looking for.”

“Weʼre big enoughto be cost-effectiveand small enoughto do custom-build”

The Old Brickyard, Pontrilas, Herefordshire HR2 0DJ

Telephone: 01981 242100Fax: 01981 242748

Email: [email protected]: www.pontrilasmerchants.co.uk

Pontrilas Merchants have the largest stock ofSoftwood and hardwood in Herefordshire.

Specialising in Construction and Fencing Timberdirect from our own sawmills.

We also offer pressure treating

FENCING • PERLINGS • CLADDING• RAILS • POSTS

Congratulations A W Trailers on 20 years in business

serving the agricultural market. Selemix from PPG

Refinish provides superior paint protection within the

manufacturing of AW Trailers who have a wealth of

expertise in trailer design. A valued supply partnership!

PPG Industries UK, Needham Road, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 2AD

Email: [email protected]: 01449 771 771Website: www.selemix.com

NATIONAL FARMER email: [email protected]

Increasingcustomer demands

Indeed, much of the companyʼs design innovations throughthe years have resulted from customer enquiries andrequests. In the early 2000s a number of customers asked

for higher and higher specification trailers, with an increasingnumbers of extras added to the build. “So we took this all onboard and designed the ʻUltimaʼ range 10 years ago, with afull spec, as demanded by our customers,” says Andrew.This proved a smart move and the range has sold well eversince.

In the past 18 months, AW Trailers has introduced anumber of new elements to its range, including shot-blastingprior to painting, a ʻtwo packʼ paint process for all equipment,LED lights fitted as standard and new commercial axles for alltrailers over 12 tons. For 2013, chrome tipping rams will befitted to the Ultima range. As a result, AW Trailersʼ productsare now more prepared than ever for the British weather.

Describing himself and his company as ʻlacking ego andhypeʼ, Andrew is at pains to stress how AW Trailers has builtand maintained its loyal customer base over the years. “If Imet someone for the first time who was looking for a trailer,Iʼd invite them to our factory and show them how muchtrouble and care goes into building our trailers,” he says.“We produce a product that is value for money, with a hugeattention to detail.”



Steady expansion“We produce a value for moneyproduct with huge attention to detail”

He compares the buying decision to someone looking fora new car. “Whether youʼre spending £5,000 or£100,000, you still want value for money,” he observes.

“Some of our competitors charge 20 or 30 per cent more thanwe do, so youʼre paying extra just for a name. That doesnʼtrepresent good value for money, to my mind.” AW Trailerscombines an excellent quality product with good value, heargues. “And weʼve been steadily expanding for 20 years,so we canʼt be all bad!”

Besides farming and industrial uses, AW Trailers havebeen sold to a wide range of other customers, includingairports – where they have become people carriers – visitorattractions such as the Aspinall Foundation in Kent andequipment for the British military. Since the SASheadquarters is close by, itʼs possible that the trailers havebeen pressed into action in some far away warzone!

“We have quite a varied customer base,” says Andrew.“Itʼs a pretty diverse range – if it has wheels and a drawbar,we can make it.”

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Cochrane House, Pedmore Road, Dudley, West Midlands, DY2 0RL

Telephone: 01384 480048Fax: 01384 70077

Email: [email protected]: www.cbrownsteels.co.uk

C Brown & Sons(Steel) Ltd

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AW Trailers