Bakery supplier BFP Wholesale has appointed a new operations director as it also revealed it had replaced 75% of its transport fleet at the cost of £1m. 

The company said the appointment of Ed Rowlands as operations director demonstrated its “commitment to building an infrastructure that will deliver best-in-class service levels”.

Rowlands has held senior positions in Premier Foods, Del Monte and, more recently, Symingtons, and has been working within BFP recently in a consultancy role.

BFP added: “His knowledge and experience has already delivered positive results to the business and plans are in place that will see further initiatives introduced.”

Rowlands said: “The business has some ambitious development plans and I am delighted to be joining BFP and am keen to contribute to its growth.”

The appointment follows that of Bill Thurston as chief executive in May as a replacement for Nick Harris. He was formerly chief executive of Langmead Farms, a salad and vegetable producing company.

Commenting on the haulage and logistics investment, the wholesaler said it would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions on its trucks by 80% and enhance operating efficiency.

Rowlands said: “This is the first element of a wider-ranging development programme for BFP operations. The £1m investment reflects a clear commitment to our customers and delivers efficiency improvements necessary to compete effectively in the marketplace.”

All of the new vehicles, to be delivered before the end of October, feature a flexible, multi-temperature format, and are fitted with telematics that will deliver a range of benefits to the company.