Paneltex Remains Best in Show for Jersey Dairy

Hull temperature-controlled vehicle manufacturer Paneltex has been chosen to tender again as the body supplier for Jersey Dairy’s newest commercial vehicle. The Dairy collective, in operation for over 250 years, is responsible for the true Jersey Dairy products that come only from the purebred herds of Jersey cattle – known for their milk’s high butterfat percentage and the golden-yellow colouring of their butter – kept on the island’s 13 cattle farms.

With a restricted amount of grazing space and cattle capacity on the island, the Dairy requires the highest standards of equipment to ensure their yield is maximised. The Dairy took delivery of its first two Paneltex vehicles in early 2022, and is looking forward to adding another to their fleet.

“The service from Paneltex has been perfect,” said Troy Gleeson, Jersey Dairy Distribution Manager. “We have a great relationship with the team at Paneltex, and they’ve worked with us every step of the way in developing vehicles that meet our needs.”

Despite disruptions to the Dairy’s activities in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the public interest in local produce and heritage breeds like the Jersey cow has driven up sales and the future looks bright for Jersey Dairy, with a programme of infrastructure investments being undertaken by the Dairy’s constituent farms. The current Paneltex builds, two 7.5 tonne rigids, were brought in to support these changes, allowing Jersey Dairy to provide top-quality products to consumers across the UK and worldwide.

Although there are challenges to operating on Jersey, the Paneltex and DAF build promises to handle them deftly. A bespoke design that takes into account the dairy’s LEAF marque status for sustainably farmed products and the island’s particular regulations for vehicle width, the proposed build – on a 16-tonne DAF chassis – will more than double the capacity of the dairy’s previous Paneltex purchase.