Trading Update

Tanfield Group PLC 05 December 2006 Tanfield Group plc ('Tanfield' or 'the Company') Trading Update The Directors of The Tanfield Group Plc are pleased to announce a strategic opportunity with two of the world's leading logistics and express operators, TNT Express and TNT Logistics. TNT today launches its trial of the first two Newton vehicles from Smith Electric Vehicles. Both will be deployed in and around London. Newton is the world's first high performance 7.5 tonne electric, zero emission vehicle. TNT Logistics will use one Newton as part of its contract with coffee retailer Starbucks, based at a depot in Basildon, Essex. TNT Express Services UK & Ireland will use the other Newton for business-to-business parcel delivery, on a route into central London from Barking. TNT Express has indicated that, following a successful limited trial period, its requirement for a UK rollout would be at least 200 Smith vehicles and that it will examine significant further deployment opportunities for its overseas operations. TNT Logistics will similarly further examine its requirements for Smith vehicles, following the trial. Darren Kell, Chief Executive of The Tanfield Group Plc, said: 'We are delighted to supply the first of our new technology vehicles to TNT. 'This further demonstrates the market interest in our products and provides insight into the latent demand for zero emission commercial vehicles. 'Smith Electric Vehicles is the world's largest manufacturer of road-going commercial electric vehicles, in what has the clear potential to be an incredibly fast-growing industry.' Tom Bell, Managing Director of TNT Express Services UK & Ireland, said: 'This is a huge step forward for our fleet in London. Not only is this one of the most environmentally friendly vehicles on the market, there are also potential significant cost savings in the long-term. 'If we extended this to 10 per cent of our fleet in urban locations, the cost savings to the company would run into millions of pounds.' Neil Crossthwaite, Managing Director of TNT Logistics, said: 'We have allocated our first zero-emissions vehicle to the fleet we operate for Starbucks, a client which shares our commitment to minimising environmental impact wherever we can. I am sure that other clients will be keen to become involved at the end of the trial.' Enquiries: Darren Kell, Chief Executive Tanfield Group plc Tel. 0845 155 7755 Ruari McGirr Daniel Stewart & Company plc Tel. 020 7776 6550 ENDS This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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