Green Moves In A Macho World
The construction industry, with its macho image, might be expected to be one of the last to embrace environmentally friendly cars – but times are changing, says Richard Edwards, Managing Director of one of the largest component and tool distributors in the South-east, with a national customer base.
His company KEM Edwards has recently taken on two Toyota Prius petrol-electric cars, with another on order and a further two expected to join the fleet this year. KEM Edwards, based in Sunbury on Thames, is a family business with more than 35 years’ experience of supplying tools, fixings, site equipment and mechanical and electrical components to the construction industry. It has been involved in many high-profile construction projects and prides itself on delivering a fast, reliable service around the clock.
The fuel-efficient Prius are being used by KEM Edwards account managers, who each cover 25-30,000 miles a year. They will gradually replace a variety of different makes of car in the 10-unit fleet, initially Peugeot 407s. “The construction business is quite macho and at first there was resistance to the idea of using ‘electric cars’, but that passed as soon as the vehicles arrived,” says Richard Edwards.
The existing Prius are used in the South-east, and in London at least three days a week, where the advantage of not paying the congestion charge has been apparent. KEM Edwards buys its cars outright, with maintenance carried out by local Toyota dealership Curries Twickenham. “Toyota Fleet has been extremely helpful to us,” says Mr Edwards. “We have pursued an environmental policy since we achieved the ISO 14000 standard two years ago and moved into our environmentally friendly building. It has come about through personal conviction rather than as a marketing tool, though I hope customers will be proud to be associated with companies like ours in the long term.
“But we are also saving money by using the Prius because they are leaner and cleaner. The advantage to the staff in terms of economy and tax provides a double benefit. With the Prius there is also a bit of an ego thing with all the gadgets – when you have such a unique set-up on the road it does make you feel that bit exclusive.
“That won’t last forever, because the big fleets finally seem to be catching on to the Prius. With all the news about climate change, and no real competitors, I would expect to see big demand in future.”
ENDS
