Pall-Ex is offering assistance to 73 hauliers as well as customers affected by the proposed closure of UK Pallets.
As the proposed closure processes progress, Pall-Ex and UK Pallets want to make sure that the strong customer base, which has been built over a number of years with UK Pallets, is looked after.
As part of this process, Pall-Ex would meet with all members and customers, and will be officially recommended as the palletised freight network of choice by UK Mail Group, owner of UK Pallets.
Graeme Wilson, managing director at UK Pallets, said:
“We are keen to support our members and customer base in sourcing an alternative quality network that is flexible enough to meet their needs should UK Pallets cease trading as is currently proposed. “
For Pall-Ex founder and CEO Hilary Devey, the newly proposed deal is a natural move for the network:
“Pall-Ex remains true to its founding ambitions of being comprehensive in scope and service, but we’re also well-placed to move quickly when an opportunity presents itself. Our ability to rapidly step in and support both hauliers and customers who may be left exposed by the UK Pallets situation is testament to this mindset, as well as a reflection of our advantage over multi-shareholder owned networks, which tend to be mired in bureaucracy.
“We will be delighted to lend our assistance to those qualifying hauliers who we anticipate being able to flourish within Pall-Ex: demonstrating financial and operational integrity, as well as proving a cultural and ethical fit.”
Commenting on the announcement, Pall-Ex Group managing director Kevin Buchanan said:
“When UK Pallets advised us that they were potentially going to cease business, we expressed an interest in understanding their customer base only and ways in which we could provide services to customers who would have previously used UK Pallets.
“Since taking the reins at the end of 2014, I’ve made no secret about the fact that I want Pall-Ex to become the clear market leader in the sector and this potential new deal takes us a step closer.“
As well as continuing to grow its UK membership, Pall-Ex is also driving forward its European expansion, with plans to launch new networks in Benelux and Bulgaria during the first quarter of 2015.
