M6toll ANPR trial frees up critical time for Menzies Distribution

Menzies Distribution (Menzies), the UK’s leading time-critical, national logistics partner, is the latest to trial the M6toll’s new transformational tolling system.

The Edinburgh based company, which operates more than 4,200 vehicle assets, has begun its trial with 1400 vehicles on the new ANPR system.

Time critical efficiencies are vital to the success of Menzies’ operations and joining the ANPR trial will provide the group with a seamless, end-to-end experience for its fleet, with no stopping or TAG required when using the M6toll road.

The addition of Menzies to the ANPR pilot project follows successful trials with commercial operators Wincanton and Maritime. In April, Maritime became the first M6toll business customer to pay for their journeys via the new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) based tolling system.

The ANPR cameras identify licence plate data, removing the need for card payments at the toll plazas and replacing them with a remote payment system. It enables non-stop end to end journeys and means customers can manage all transactions via the M6toll website, whether for a single vehicle or larger fleets spread across a number of depots.

M6toll owner, Midland Expressway Ltd, has installed the ANPR cameras as part of a transformation of the existing tolling infrastructure, that also includes a new customer relationship management system (CRM) and eCommerce system, implemented as part of a strategy to improve customer service and increase choice for customers.

Adam Purshall, Director of Fleet and Procurement at Menzies Distribution, said: “Time efficiency and innovation are at the heart of every logistics solution that Menzies develops for its commercial partners, whichever industry sector they may be in. It is important for us to be early adopters of market leading technology, so we are pleased to be trialling this exciting new system for the benefit of our customers.”

As one of the UK’s major logistics providers, Menzies Distribution enables companies to optimise value from their supply chain activities. The business specialises in providing contract logistics, warehousing, distribution, systems integration and added value services to a wide range of customers and long-term partners. Its diverse capability also means it can share best practice across the various industry sectors in which it operates.

Menzies Distribution operates from more than 100 sites across the UK and Ireland, distributing over 30 million units across its network every week, to more than 30,000 locations each day, including newspapers and magazines, retail stock, healthcare consumables and parcel delivery services.
Julie Davies, Commercial Director at Midland Expressway Ltd said: “We are delighted to welcome Menzies Distribution as the latest business customer to join the ANPR trial.

“Menzies’s operations rely on the time critical nature of their deliveries, so the predictability and fleet efficiency savings provided by the M6toll are hugely important to them.

“The new ANPR system trial will further enhance the time critical efficiency so valued by Menzies Distribution by helping them to achieve consistent and efficient journey times when using the M6toll as their regular route.

“Our data team report a 73% increase in commercial vehicles using the M6toll between 2012 and 2020 and as we add more commercial operators to the ANPR trial and lockdown further eases, we are seeing more commercial traffic using the road.”

The new transformational tolling system is part of the wider ‘Road Ahead’ digital transformation programme, developed to support M6toll’s commitment to improving congestion and connectivity, nationally and across the West Midlands.