18


PALLET NETWORKS


The European market is important to United Pallet Network (UPN), says commercial director David Brown. “The question is: how do you serve it. Do you try and set up similar networks in other countries, or do you find a European partner?” UPN decided on the latter, using the services of Signet International. Signet, which is also the network’s partner for Slough and some parts of the Reading area, also offers services by land sea and air to pretty much any destination worldwide. The partnership extends the UPN pallet service cost effectively to over a dozen European countries but Signet can provide a forwarding service to virtually anywhere in the world by road, sea or air.


“We don’t have a huge


amount of European freight at the moment,” explains Brown. “But it is something we want to offer our members.” Signet, he says, is more than just a standard forwarder, as the company also inputs significant amounts of business into the UPN network. Signet’s managing director Richard Newport describes his


company as both an


international forwarder and a road haulier. It now serves around 23 European countries direct through its network of agents as well as providing comprehensive air and sea forwarding services to all parts of the world. As well as its head office and base at Slough, it also has hubs in Felixstowe, Banbury


and Cardiff. The company, a Queen’s Award winner in 2008, is also an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), one of only around 50 UK companies to have gained the accreditation so far. UPN is based on a hub at Lichfield in the Midlands – having moved there 4-5 years ago from Melton Mowbray - and currently has around 60 members, says Brown. They cover every part of the UK and Ireland, including the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight and the Channel


Islands. “Business is


growing,” Brown enthuses. “We are gaining market share from some of the other networks and last year we were growing faster than many of our competitors.” The company stresses its co- operative, member-orientated


approach. It also prefers to stick to what it knows best, rather than trying to break into other markets such as third-party logistics, as some of the more volume-hungry operators have done, says Brown. “Actually, we prefer to work with 3PLs rather than against them. We already cooperate with one - C Butt logistics - and we’re talking to another.”


Brown adds: “We’re fortunate in that we have one owner- shareholder, no bank loans and our focus doesn’t have to be on putting as many pallets as possible through a huge hub. Personally, I feel that some of the other networks have almost outgrown their own members, it’s almost turned into a subcontracting kind of


UPN’s Irish connection


UPN has partnered with Liam Connolly (Roadfreight) for its launch of palletised freight services for the Irish market. All UPN depots can provide the complete range of UPN services into Ireland, with 48- hour delivery times across all 32 counties. Based


in Lisnaskea, County


Fermanagh, Liam Connolly was established in 1981 and employs over 50 people and runs a modern fleet of 40 vehicles,


ranging from small vans to full size artics. The company utilises a variety of single and double deck trailers, as well as tankers and flatbeds. The company has also taken delivery of two brand new double deck trailers dedicated to UPN work.


Director Darren Connolly explains: “We provide a complete service across Ireland because we have an existing partnership arrangement with 23 sub-depots across the country.”


relationship, whereas here at UPN it’s much more about co- operation.”


UPN currently has just about the right balance of business and members. It could take on more as traffic expands in specific postcode areas, but it is not an imperative. “Many of the larger members have grown with us,” Brown continues. UPN has also made a major investment in bar-coding technology to further improve its hub operation. Software has been developed in-house by UPN’s IT team, in close partnership with


specialist


hardware developer Belgravium. Every pallet delivered or collected by UPN is scanned in and out of the hub with web based depot systems updating


in


ISSUE 4 2011 Signet provides a global link for UPN real-time. Customers and


depots can check the status of every pallet and consignment and know which vehicle it is on and its hub arrival and departure times.


Every pallet incorporates a new 2D bar-code as well as the traditional bar-code A 2D bar- code holds


extra information,


including delivery address and consignment data to provide extra resilience to the system. “It all helps to reduce the mound of proofs of delivery and other paperwork,” says Brown. The system also makes for more


a efficient operation.


Members know how much traffic to expect and can provide the right number of vehicles, while the hub itself can better plan its operations.


On-time IT


Palletforce has now rolled out its in-house developed Alliance IT system to all its members. Alliance offers full visibility of customers’ freight from collection to delivery, including online POD information, and comprehensive invoicing functions


IT Director Dean Hughes said: “It was delivered both on time and on budget and is now a very active system being used by all our member depots.”


He added that as Alliance is completely owned by


Palletforce, the operator had the flexibility to modify and adapt the system to suit its needs and those of its members and customers. Since the first phase of installation last June the system has attracted 900 regular users and offers 99.99%


availability – or


around one hour of down time a year.


Palletforce is also providing classroom and innovative online training to ensure that users are kept up to date with enhancements.


Simarco moves to Burton


International forwarder and Palletforce member is moving its Midlands base to a new site at Barton-under-Needwood, just outside Burton and under five miles from the main Palletforce hub. The 2.5-acre development could be open as early as July and the company has started to recruit staff, the Burton Mail reported. Simarco managing


director Simon Reed was quoted as


saying that the


site would reduce journey times for shipments to and from Europe, and enable Simarco to forge even closer ties with the Palletforce network. Simarco has its its head office at Witham in Essex, and offices at Liverpool,


Manchester Northamptonshire. Sizzling summer deal


The Pallet Network (TPN) has signed a three-year, €750,000 deal with barbecue maker Weber to ship, store and distribute all of its products and supplies to its customers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It will include storage of thousands of Weber products at TPN’s new logistics centre.


and


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