WHEN you need to move metal, you need some brawn that’s up to the task and won’t let you down.
Stephen Kelbie is a director at the family firm of scrap merchants Frank Kelbie Ltd, based in Dundee, Scotland, which has recently decided to take on something more pristine than the scrap it moves around with a new 3.5-tonne Fuso Canter light truck.
Keeping it local, the Canter 3C13 has been fitted with an aluminium dropside body by the Dundee-based DPH Coachbuilders business and supplied to Frank Kelbie Ltd by local Mercedes-Benz dealer John R Weir Truck & Van.
Kelbie’s Stephen explains that solid reliability was one of the key reasons why the business went for the Canter.
“We bought our first Canter in 2004 and liked it so much that when we came to replace it we didn’t really consider any alternatives.
“We’ve had other 3.5-tonne vehicles in the past but they’ve been based on van chassis. The Canter is different – it’s built like a proper truck and, as a result, is much stronger. It’s more than happy to work fully loaded and carries the weight really well.”
The company buys scrap metals from demolition contractors and the construction industry, as well as scrap cars from commercial and private sources. And the Canter is now being used by Kelbie to pick up this scrap metal from customers across much of Scotland.
Having collected the scrap metal, Kelbie then processes the scrap before delivering the processed metals to businesses both in Scotland and abroad, usually exporting them from harbours such as Inverkeithing.
Stephen adds: “The Canter is engineered to an extremely high standard, while the ‘cab forward’ design, with no long bonnet, means it fits perfectly on our small weighbridge. This compact footprint is also an important asset when we’re negotiating yards and other areas where access is tight.”
Frank Kelbie Ltd was founded in 1946 by Stephen’s grandfather, then taken over by his father, also Frank. As well as Stephen, other sons Richard and James are heavily involved in the running of the business and the fourth generation of the family is also on board.
