A new generation of lighter, stronger trailers has helped Ifor Williams Trailers to create 15 new jobs.
The Tow-Max range offers lightweight flatbed trailers that can carry high payloads even for vehicles with limited towing capacity, including electric cars that often struggle with traditional 3.5 tonne gross trailers.
According to the company, which has five manufacturing sites in Denbighshire and Deeside, the Tow-Max is aimed at the lighter segment of the market but still delivers up to 2.7 tonne capacity thanks to a robust design using high tensile steel and intensive in-house engineering.
The new range is being manufactured at Cynwyd, the company’s original factory where the Ifor Williams Trailers story began in 1958.
The firm said the launch had already created 15 new jobs across the company, including the assembly of the new trailers at Cynwyd as well as at the Ty’n Llidiart factory in Corwen where components are made.
The phased launch began in Norway where up to 95 per cent of new cars are now electric, followed by Denmark, Belgium, Poland and France. It is now also being sold in the UK and Ireland and the range will also be available worldwide.
Clwyd South MS and Welsh Government Transport Minister Ken Skates visited Ifor Williams Trailers to mark the UK launch.
Mr Skates said:
“The launch of the new Tow-Max range is fabulous news for Ifor Williams Trailers, brilliant for Cynwyd and superb for the workforce and it builds on the really rich, proud history of this particular site.
“What’s particularly exciting is that this enables them to penetrate further into Europe and indeed globally to cater for new customers and is also about looking into the future by using lightweight but strong materials which are required because of the transition to electric vehicles.
“It’s brilliant to see an iconic Welsh company with such a brilliant past focused so laser-like on securing the future.
“The trailer market is having to adapt to the rise of electric vehicles and Ifor Williams Trailers is clearly ahead of the game and demonstrating yet again why they are the best in the business.”
Managing Director John Williams said:
“We’re very proud to be launching the new Tow-Max range, diversifying our well established range of trailers to target a new customer sector looking for a lighter trailer, but with the strength and durability associated with the Ifor Williams brand.
“We’ve had a hugely positive response from our distributors across the world who are saying the Tow-Max has been the perfect addition to the range.
“It’s been fantastic to choose the Cynwyd site for full scale production because there’s a huge heritage and history here. Some of our colleagues here have 50 years’ service with many of them over 30 years, so it’s great to be able to bring a really exciting new, high volume product here to Cynwyd.
“It’s means we’ve had to recruit and bring new employment opportunities to Cynwyd and at our Ty’n Llidiart factory in Corwen where we make our own components.”
