Eco-Friendly Haulage Firm Expands Supported by Lombard
Rochdale, 10th June 2008 – JPM Eco Logistics, the eco-friendly haulage business that secured investment from the hit TV show Dragons' Den, has received another boost from Lombard.
The Rochdale-based company has expanded its fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles with the purchase of three new Volvo trucks for £235,000, with funding provided by Lombard, the asset finance arm of The Royal Bank of Scotland ("RBS").
Directors Paul Merker and Jerry Manalvanos launched the business last year and became the first hauliers in the country to run their vehicles on 100% bio-diesel sourced from the UK. Shortly after launching they appeared on the hit BBC TV show Dragons' Den and secured a £100k investment for a 40% stake in the business from 'Dragons' Theo Paphitis and Deborah Meaden, both of whom quickly identified the commercial potential of the UK's most environmentally friendly haulage company.
All JPM vehicles run on 100% bio-diesel made from rapeseed oil which produces no greenhouse gases and therefore does not contribute to global warming. This environmentally friendly stance has proved popular with corporate clients keen to reduce their carbon footprint and JPM Eco Logistic's expanding customer base includes a national supermarket chain and major engineering firm.
The new vehicles increase the size of the company's fleet to 12 and means they will be able service an enlarged customer base.
Jerry Mantalvanos, Director of JMP Eco Logistics, said:
"Since launching last year there has been an incredible demand for our services meaning we quickly reached full capacity. It was essential to
expand our fleet and the new vehicles will allow us to take on additional work from existing, as well as new customers."
Rohan Whittle, Relationship Manager at Lombard, said:
"JPM Eco Logistics is a company which has made great progress in a short space of time. The increased capacity of their fleet will
strengthen their niche position in the haulage market and we are happy to support them."
- Ends -
For more information, please contact:
Mark Lester
Media Manager, The Royal Bank of Scotland
Tel: + 44 (0) 7917 598 585
Email: mark.lester@rbs.co.uk
For further information about JPM Eco Logistics, please contact:
Cass Stainton on c.staintonpr@gmail.com or 07798 554520
Notes to Editor:
The Royal Bank of Scotland Group ("RBS Group") is one of the world's leading financial services companies. For the past four years RBS has consistently ranked in the top 10 global banks. In 2005, RBS Group posted total income of £25.6 billion and operating profit before tax, goodwill amortisation and integration costs of £8.2 billion. Cost: income ratio, a key measure of efficiency, was 41.8 per cent and total assets at 31 December 2005 stood at £776.8 billion. RBS Group operates in Europe, the US and Asia Pacific serving more than 36 million customers world-wide and employing more than 140,000 people. In addition to the provision of a full range of banking services under The Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest brands, RBS Group also includes Citizens Financial Group, Ulster Bank, Coutts Group, Direct Line and Churchill.
