British manufacturer Paneltex is set to create 240 new jobs and open an additional 140,000 sq ft factory after winning the largest contract in its history.
Paneltex is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of refrigerated and specialised commercial vehicle bodies, producing everything from the largest trailers to the smallest vans.
The new deal will create 240 new jobs and see them working with electric vehicle brand Volta by supplying cargo boxes for a new range of energy efficient vehicles.
Paneltex is no stranger to the green energy market. With thirty years of engineering expertise, Paneltex brings a comprehensive portfolio of manufacturing techniques to the venture. Producing thousands of vehicle bodies, vehicle body kits, and portable cold stores a year out of an existing six specialised factories across the UK, Paneltex say their innovative approaches to design and manufacture are uniquely well suited for this collaboration with Volta Trucks.
To meet the demand of the new Volta contract, the firm is also taking on a huge new 140,000 sq ft facility at Newport.
Paneltex Managing Director Chris Berridge said:
“It is an exciting development for Paneltex. We will be supplying to automotive standards, which is quite a high bar, and we will be the first doing it at scale in Europe, which could be quite a game-changer if we look five years down the line.
“Since Paneltex’s founding, we have been at the forefront of all environmentally oriented innovations in our field. We’re delighted to work with Volta Trucks to produce a zero-emission vehicle that is better for everyone, while still maintaining the commitment to payload, durability and excellence that the Paneltex name is known for. We are pleased to be working on such an exciting project and are looking forward to our collaboration with Volta Trucks.”
The Volta Zero is described as the world’s first purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne vehicle, designed for urban logistics.
Ian Collins, chief product officer at Volta Trucks, said:
“The innovative and disruptive Volta Trucks model of supplying a complete vehicle rather than a chassis cab means that we need to work with the world’s best suppliers of cargo boxes, and in significant volumes, given our sales aspirations. Announcing our partnership with Paneltex for the supply of cargo boxes is the latest in a long line of agreements with world-class industry-expert suppliers that will support us in our mission to get the full-electric Volta Zero to market as quickly as possible and start dealing with the societal issues of climate change, air quality and safety that the vehicle is designed to address.”
The huge win for the British manufacturer comes as results for 2021 showed 50 per cent growth for the 32-year-old firm, up from £49.5 million to £74.2 million, building on a 25 per cent increase in 2020.
