Pembrokeshire Council cleans up with Manvik
Pembrokeshire County Council serves approximately 120,000 people in the southwest corner of Wales. The council is both innovative and 
proactive, and provides a range of key services to the people of the county. With the help of municipal waste equipment supplier Manvik, Pembrokeshire continues to expand its waste management strategy.
One of Pembrokeshire County Council's main objectives over the coming years is to reduce waste and increase recycling. As part of its Municipal Waste Management Strategy document, which was outlined in November 2004, the council set a number of targets concerning recycling and the overall production of waste. By 2009/2010 the council's recycling and composting target is 40 percent of all municipal waste. This includes collecting almost 8,000 tonnes of recycled materials from households around the county.
Pembrokeshire hitting targets with Manvik
"What stands out about Manvik is that their support is second to none and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them."
- Hubert Mathias, Transport Manager, Pembrokeshire County Council
In order to achieve its waste management goals, Pembrokeshire County Council initiated a number of measures, including employing Manvik to supply it with vehicles that would be up to the task. The council signed a six-year contract with Manvik in 2005 to supply it with 16 trucks, which are used for refuse, green waste and recycled materials collection.
"Manvik provides us with a cost-effective and flexible solution to meet our needs," explains Pembrokeshire County Council transport manager, Hubert Mathias. "On top of that, what stands out about Manvik is that their support is second to none and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them."
The vehicles supplied by Manvik are Dennis Eagle 6x4 trade bin lift Phoenix 2 trucks, which the council operates in the urban areas of Pembrokeshire, and NTM 15-tonne trucks, which are suitable for the rural areas of the county, which is made up primarily of large areas of farmland. "The NTM 15-tonne trucks are perfect for the roads in rural Pembrokeshire. They are light and agile, which adds to their manoeuvrability on narrow country roads," says Alex Arnott, regional sales manager with Manvik.
Moving with the times
In a bid to increase efficiencies and cut costs, Pembrokeshire County Council is also currently trialling split-body vehicles, or twin-pack vehicles, supplied by Manvik. These trucks are wider than standard refuse trucks and can collect three bins at one time. They also feature a 70/30 split body, with normal refuse going into the larger compartment and glass or plastic going into the smaller section of the vehicle. In using this type of vehicle the council could potentially speed up collections and pick up refuse and recyclables at the same time, according to Mathias.
"Recycling is changing all the time, and new and innovative vehicles are coming on the market," he says. "What's great about our contract with Manvik is that it's flexible and we can move with the times. If we want to change vehicles during the contract then we can do that, which means we are maintaining our efficient service levels with top-of-the-range vehicles."
Manvik meets Pembrokeshire's needs
Flexibility is a key factor in Manvik's relationship with Pembrokeshire County Council, particularly when it comes to the vehicle maintenance contract. In light of Pembrokeshire's rural location, Manvik provided the council with a tailored maintenance offering: it allows Pembrokeshire to use its own facilities to do the maintenance on its trucks and the council can then bill the costs back to Manvik.
"Pembrokeshire is quite a remote part of the UK and if we had to send the trucks to another part of the UK for maintenance it could lead to considerable downtime," explains Mathias. "In allowing us to use our own facilities to conduct our own maintenance Manvik have helped us to reduce downtime, and we know our trucks will be back on the road without delay."
It is this type of customised offering that makes Manvik stand out for Pembrokeshire County Council. "We see Manvik as being a caring company. In accommodating our needs and tailoring solutions to our requirements, it shows that they care about us and what we're doing," says Mathias.
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