Colli Timber & Hardware grows fleet with IVECO

In-depth

9 Feb

Almost 20 years since Perth’s Colli Timber and Hardware put its first IVECO Daily van to work, the company has welcomed its latest additions, two 12m³ Daily 50C models which are used for its ‘Colli Xpress Onsite’ service.

Operating from sites in Malaga and Mundijong, Colli Timber and Hardware was started in the late 1960s by Pietro Colli, a sawmill worker who identified a niche in the market to supply quality timber products to help fast-track construction in Perth and surrounding areas. Today the company is managed by Pietro’s sons, Ces and Oriano, who together oversee a dedicated team of around 50 employees.

Major Account Representative, Jason Colli, is the third generation working in the family business, having begun there in 2000, so has been present during the company’s long relationship with IVECO. In addition to the Daily vans – of which the company has had six over the years – the business also operates a Eurocargo and three Stralis models, which are uses to deliver a range of hardware products including cladding, timber and trusses to customers.

**Third generation Colli Timber and Hardware team member, Jason Colli.**

“We began using IVECO in 2006 and over the time the vans and trucks have provided us with good, reliable service – they’ve never let us down,” Jason said.

“Given this, when it was time to replace two of the earlier Daily models, we didn’t have a need to go elsewhere – Daily had the track record.”

Finished in the company’s vibrant blood orange livery, the two vans which were purchased through AV Truck Services, play a vital role in Colli Timber and Hardware’s Colli Xpress Onsite service, an offering that sees the Daily vans dispatched to worksites loaded with fast-moving materials and hardware, along with replacement equipment and hand tools catering to a variety of trades.

**Colli chose Daily based on the strong performance of earlier IVECO models as well as for their safety features, driver appointments and robust driveline.**

The service means tradies can stay on site and remain productive, leaving the Colli Express team to fill any shortfalls in materials and gear. The vans’ loadspace includes shelving, racking and hooked display boards, while eftpos facilities allow efficient payment for customers. Depending on requirements, the new Daily vans also tow tandem box trailers for extra loadspace, which makes the vans’ output of 180 horsepower and 430Nm of torque, and 3,500kg braked towing capacity attractive features.

“The Dailys give us the space and carrying capacity to provide a good service to our customers,” Jason explained.

“We also chose automatic transmissions (8-speed full automatics) for the vans, which make them more comfortable and easier to drive – changing gears is one less thing our sales team have to worry about.”

From their base in Malaga, the vans can travel up to 1.5 hours north and a similar distance south, meaning they can cover several hundred kilometres each working day across a range of metropolitan, urban and regional roads and traffic conditions.

Given the time drivers spend behind the wheel, Jason said the Daily’s safety features and driver appointments were a priority for the business and well received by his team.

“Equipment such as the lane departure warning system and adaptive cruise control is liked by the drivers, and another feature that’s been great – particularly when towing the trailers – is ‘City Mode’ (City Mode reduces steering effort by up to 70 per cent to assist low speed maneuvering),” he said.

“The vans are also smooth and quiet to drive; having used Daily vans since 2006 we’ve certainly noticed how each generation has gotten better and better.”

Jason said Colli Timber and Hardware looked forward to continuing its long relationship with IVECO.

“They’re good machines, very reliable and get the job done for us – the Dailys also look great on the road, we get a lot of positive feedback. These are the reasons we’ve stuck with IVECO and the Daily range for so long and will continue doing so,” he said.

ADDENDUM

Jason’s dad, Cesare is a good friend of Truckin with Kermie. Ces owns a couple of mint trucks, one of which is a classic White (above). There’s also a T909 – in Kermie Green of course.

There’s no doubt that Cesare knows a good truck when he sees it, and 20 years of involvement with the IVECO brand speaks volumes for that company’s product.