120 jobs saved as trailer manufacturer sold out of administration

Grantham-based trailer manufacturer Fruehauf has been sold out of administration to Scotland-based truck specialist MV Commercial in a move that will save 120 jobs.

Carl Jackson and Tauseef Rashid of business advisory firm Quantuma, together with Brian Johnson of UHY Hacker Young, were appointed as administrators to Fruehauf last month.

Founded in 2010, Fruehauf was a £21m turnover company renowned for its production of a range of tipping trailers and rigid truck bodies, quality control systems and techniques. It operated a 67-acre site in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

The business traded under the control of the administrators for four weeks under “difficult” conditions and the sale, which completed on 3 September 2021, will safeguard 120 jobs at the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer and ensure continuity of Fruehauf’s order book and supply moving forward.

MV Commercial, established in 2001, is a leading supplier of new and used trucks in the UK, specialising in truck rental and lorry mounted cranes. With its headquarters in Airdrie, Scotland, the firm also has depots in Haydock, Livingston, Oxford, and London.

Carl Jackson, CEO at Quantuma and joint administrator said: “We’re delighted to have completed the sale of Fruehauf Ltd to MV Commercial.

“This business traded in difficult conditions for a short period to enable a thorough marketing exercise to be undertaken. While we were presented with many expressions of interest, we are confident that the sale to MV Commercial will provide a fresh start for Fruehauf, taking its existing supply forward into a new era and we’re looking forward to seeing it flourish.”