As home grocery delivery gains popularity, the Shyft Group in Novi, a leading specialty vehicle manufacturing, assembly, and upfit company for e-commerce-driven parcel delivery, has received orders for more than 500 refrigerated and other units from grocery chains around the country during the last several months.
Utilimaster, a Shyft Group brand, offers a wide range of temperature-controlled vehicles, including multi-temperature vehicles which can span gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) classes and are designed to deliver a variety of foods at their optimum temperature, including fresh, frozen, cold, and ambient within the same vehicle.
“Consumers expect reliable, on-time service with their grocery delivery orders. Utilimaster understands this need and provides a wide range of vehicles to meet efficient and safe grocery delivery demands,” says Daryl Adams, president and CEO of The Shyft Group.
“Whether it’s a grocery delivery to your door or a heavy-duty truck from the distribution center to a retail grocer, Utilimaster has the best purpose-built solution on the road, today and tomorrow.”
After thousands of ride-along studies, Utilimaster has analyzed and assessed how to meet the demands of growing industries such as grocery delivery. The company’s range of GVWR Class 1 though 7 offerings include:
- Velocity is the latest addition to its delivery line-up and includes the ability to carry fresh and frozen goods. The vehicle is unique in its small format and large cargo capacity, providing the nimbleness, comfort, and fuel efficiency of a cargo van with the accessibility and capacity of a walk-in van
- Walk-in step-vans feature a highly adaptable cargo area and multiple side and rear door configurations, offering maximum versatility and interior design features.
- Cargo van upfits provide customer-specific, purpose-built storage configurations for high-frequency, urban, and suburban grocery delivery.
“As more customers in urban, suburban, and rural areas seek grocery delivery solutions, our commitment to provide diversified vehicle offerings has increased in response. Adding the Velocity, an agile and adaptable last mile delivery vehicle, to our temperature-controlled vehicle lineup has gotten the attention of grocers and food suppliers of all sizes across the country,” says Chad Heminover, president of Shyft Fleet Vehicles and Services.
“In addition to our broad vehicle lineup, Utilimaster produces refrigerated vehicles across our manufacturing footprint, so we are uniquely positioned to meet customer needs, from both a manufacturing and distribution standpoint.”
Utilimaster will showcase the Velocity F2 at the upcoming Home Delivery World Expo in Philadelphia on Sept. 1-2. For more information, visit here.
