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Truck and Track Summer 2019 64
PALLET NETWORKS
“Our members have started 2019 with
record breaking volumes – both for the
sector in general and for the time of year
– seeing growth in excess of 7% across the
networks,” said Sanders. In fact, total pallet
volumes exceeded 6.6 million pallets in the
first quarter of 2019.
This growth is fairly evenly spread across Next
Day and Economy services but, in a change to
recent trends, growth in Half pallet services
exceeds that of Full and Quarter pallet volumes. “Over the last
few years, members had been experiencing significant growth in
the quarter pallet market. Since formal benchmarking began in
2007, quarter pallet volumes have increased by 15% annually.
We recognise members have seen the significant recent economic
growth in the home delivery sector, but perhaps this has now found
its level,” observed Sanders. “High service levels also reinforce our
competitive advantage in the home delivery market, with delivery
within service criteria exceeding 95% consistently across the
market.”
There is significant focus on the environment in 2019, with
transport facing a great deal of criticism. “Pallet networks are a
very ‘green’ way to transport goods,” stated Sanders, “our members
have invested heavily in technology and processes to maximise
efficiency and minimise environmental impact of their operations.
In an industry heavily criticised for inefficiencies and empty
running, our members are consistently achieving more than 77%
trunk trailer utilisation.”
Looking to the rest of 2019, Sanders predicts Industry challenges,
not least of which relates to people. “APNmembers have expressed
concerns about skills in the sector; across logistics, supply chain and
the transport sector there is a recognised talent shortage at every
level. As the sector’s representative body, the APN will be doing all
it can to help members to attract, recruit, train and retain staff.
We are looking to invest in appropriate schemes and initiatives to
address these fundamental issues, and will be seeking the support
of Government to achieve this.”
2019 is off to a flying start for APNmembers, with
more than 6.6million pallets already delivered
Paul Sanders, Chairman
of the Association of
Pallet Networks
The Association of Pallet Networks’ chairman, Paul Sanders, looks at the very promising start to
2019 made by members
A London-based logistics firm has
completed a near-£3 million upgrade to
its fleet in the wake of the capital’s earlier-
than-planned introduction of its Ultra-Low
Emission Zone (ULEZ).
ELB Partners, which is based in Wimbledon,
has upgraded its entire 50-strong fleet to Euro
6-compliant vehicles to meet the stringent
emission standards set out by the ULEZ.
The introduction of the ULEZ in April was 17 months ahead of
schedule, forcing businesses like ELB to act quickly or face paying a
£100 daily charge to drive its vehicles through large parts of central
London.
ELB, which is a member of the Pallet-Track network, is the only
haulier in the capital to have upgraded its entire fleet to Euro 6.
Peter Eason, managing director of ELB, said the upgrade was a
necessity as there is no viable alternative at present.
He said: “There is plenty of talk about electric trucks but we’re not
yet at the stage where that’s practical or cost-effective.
“We could use them for short delivery drops in London but they lack
the range for the double shift jobs – which, as we all know, is where
we see the most efficiency.
“We’re currently averaging 500 pallets a night through the Pallet-
Track network, which simply wouldn’t be possible to manage with
EVs.
“The Euro 6 fleet upgrade has been an expensive and time-
consuming process, but ultimately a very necessary one.”
Peter has previously spoken out against the “demonisation of
diesel” and argues that many of the engines are still clean and
serviceable.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that a spend of this
magnitude has a major impact on businesses like ours,” he added.
“Diesel could still be the answer for many years to come.”
London logistics firm commits millions to Euro 6 upgrades
ELB Partners MD
Peter Eason
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