Scania dealer Keltruck marks 40th milestone
Independent Scania dealer Keltruck celebrated its 40th anniversary last month, with a special celebration at its West Bromwich head office.
The company, which operates 18 locations throughout the Midlands and South Wales, was joined for the occasion by Mats Gunnarsson, executive vice president, head of commercial operations at Scania CV AB, who noted Keltruck’s position as “the largest non-captive dealership in the Scania worldwide network”.
Also in attendance were James Armstrong, executive regional director for Scania Europe North, who raised a toast to the continued success of the Keltruck and Scania partnership; and Chris Newitt, managing director, and James Colbourne, services director of Scania Great Britain (SGB). Mr Newitt presented the company with a plaque celebrating the occasion.
Addressing guests at the event, Keltruck chairman Chris D. Kelly said: “We’re here today to celebrate the milestone of 40 years of Keltruck, founded by my father Chris Kelly in April 1983. He is a truly remarkable man with great vision and extremely high standards, so the match with Scania was a natural one…
“Thank you to our customers here today and all of our customers over the last 40 years. We wouldn’t be what we are today without you. We deal with so many absolutely lovely people.
“Thank you to all 430 of our staff today and everyone who has worked for us previously and thank you finally, to all of our suppliers, principally SGB.”
Commenting on the milestone, founder Chris Kelly said: “I’d just like to say thank you for the business over the years – but most of all thanks for the memories. It has been a challenge at times, but great fun, too.”
Christian Levin, CEO of Scania AB and parent group Traton AB, said of the anniversary: “Keltruck today is an absolutely integral part of Scania’s successful growth journey in the UK throughout the last decades [and has] been an integral and important part of developing new business concepts…
“As much as we celebrate Keltruck today, we should also celebrate an absolutely outstanding career, the career of Chris [Kelly] himself – how he in early years joined the industry and eventually got the chance to become a Scania dealer and over the last 40 years has built up an organisation with today more than 400 employees, £200m in turnover and an amazing customer satisfaction market share.”
