Pall-Ex celebrates a decade of growth
May 18th 2006 Pall-Ex celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. From being one of the first to market, the company has rapidly grown into one of Europe’s leading pallet networks. Handling ten million pallets in ten years, Pall-Ex now has over 100 depot locations, as well as the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly operation in the sector, and plans to expand traffic to/from continental Europe even further this year.
Since opening for business in 1996 with a throughput of 117 pallets on the first night, Pall-Ex has been a remarkable success story. Double-digit growth in turnover every year for ten years and a steady increase in the number of pallets handled to current levels of up to 9000 per night have made the company a national and international name and brought high street names and retail chains to the door. Today, Pall-Ex has increased the number of depot locations from 29 to over 100 and is developing a number of strategic alliances which will take the company into the continent and bring in more long distance freight.
The success of the company is due largely to the innovative and investment-driven approach of managing director Hilary Devey. Pall-Ex was the first to commission its own £12m purpose-built hub, built to the company’s own specification on a brown field site in Leicestershire chosen for its proximity to major trunk routes to allow speedy transit to all corners of the country and into Europe. Pall-Ex remains unique in the sector in operating a non-drive-through hub, keeping commercial vehicles outside the building. The environmental advantage has been further enhanced by running an entirely CNG (compressed natural gas) powered fork lift truck fleet keeping the hub emission-free. It is these factors that have helped provide the cleanest, safest, most efficient hub environment in the sector and to bring in new business from sensitive goods including foodstuffs and electronic equipment.
Pall-Ex was also the first pallet network to launch its own bespoke information management system designed and developed in-house. Hilary Devey is proud of the technological advantage this has given over others in the market. “We designed Pall-IT ourselves so that we could provide the best service to our members and customers, and we are still way out ahead of our competitors. Our latest developments; EPOD (electronic proof of delivery), document scanning and real-time signature capture enhancements are delivering significant competitive advantages for both our customers and the depot network, streamlining efficiency and planning processes.”
The future looks bright for Pall-Ex. Early moves onto continental Europe have established a solid market for growth and the company is building strategic alliances with major international logistics operators that will expand the business both in terms of destination and diversification. With East Midlands airport a stone’s throw away and Pall-Ex’s position at the epicentre of the UK’s road network, air and sea freight and container cargo are the future growth areas for Pall-Ex. “We are adapting part of our hub with the latest technology for handling containerised freight,” points out Hilary Devey. After ten years of sustained growth, Pall-Ex is still full of ideas and vision for the next decade of success. More articles from Pall-Ex UK Ltd: | 
