A Tru story

Guy Nicholls, the entrepreneur behind the hugely successful Tru7 Group and brands such as Tippers R Us, TRU Plant and Trucks ‘R’ Us canvassed opinions on suitable equipment suppliers when he began laying the foundations for his latest business division. The name that kept coming back was 'Liebherr'.

The Ipswich-based organisation, which runs more than 2,000 machines and vehicles, has interests ranging from plant hire to waste management. Its latest venture is a move into the ready mixed concrete sector under the Tru Mix brand and Liebherr-Great Britain has been playing a major role as Nicholls assembles the best possible package of equipment.

Discussions began in 2020, initially on batching plants and focusing on a combination of maximum storage and flexibility that would sit comfortably in the site layout. The choice was a Mobilmix 2.5F with five 50-tonne aggregate compartments and three 100-tonne cement silos. Trumix opted for a third cement silo over the standard two to provide additional storage, to counter any supply issues, and for extra versatility should different cement types be required. The plant has impressed to such an extent that a second has already been ordered.

Mobilmix plants are quickly installed because the main components are designed for easy transportation and erection. Tru 7's equipment was delivered, installed on its concrete slab and commissioned in just a couple of weeks thanks to the pre-wired design and integrated control batch cabin. The 2.5F model has a class-leading output of up to 115m3 per hour via a 2.5m3 twin-shaft mixer.

The main body of the plant and skip track have been fully clad and insulated to improve frost resistance and reduce noise. The stylish green finish was specified by Nicholls to comply with planning requirements and applied at the Liebherr factory.

Another optional extra on the Tru 7 plant is the ‘Collects Chute’ which allows the batcher to automatically position an additional, funnel-like chute under the mixer discharge cone for customers collecting their orders on flat bed vehicles. It eliminates any concrete splash during loading.

Meanwhile, the Tru Mix team was reporting reliability problems with its truck mixers and opened negotiations with Liebherr as it sought replacements. An initial deal for two vehicles has since been followed by an order for a further 38 units for delivery this year. Nicholls has opted for the 9m3 HTM 905 models that provide extra carrying capacity compared with the previous 8m3 drums.

‘Like the batching plants, the mixer trucks are also superb,’ said Nicholls, who has been especially impressed with the optional Litronic-EMC drum controller which controls the diesel engine speed when loading and unloading. The constant speed drive prevents unnecessary drum rotations during the journey, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and wear.

‘The built in ‘return to site’ drum wash is an excellent feature and has significantly reduced cleaning times once the trucks have returned to the yard,’ he adds.

‘We chose to go into ready mix as it fits in with our aggregates, muckaway, recycling, plant hire and demolition businesses. We chose Liebherr after asking people who really know the business and its sales team were super knowledgeable and professional. They helped us plan the plant to fit our first site and it was done in a very professional and safe manner.’

‘We work very well with the Liebherr team and I see this as a very long-term relationship. Our second Mobilmix 2.5 plant will be installed this year will give us three locations, all with Liebherr plants. Our intention is to add to these moving forward.’