TruckandTrackWinter2018.indd

43 / 76

Winter 2018 Truck and Track 43
PALLET NETWORKS
The APN’s latest benchmarking statistics of
the UK’s leading pallet network operators
showed significant growth in total volumes,
with particularly strong increases in Next
Day services and the Full Pallet markets.
Paul Sanders commented, “Our members are
delivering recordvolumes, withannual growth
in excess of 6.7% to the end of September
2018. Although the rate of growth has slowed
slightly this year, volumes are strong across all
service offerings, with Next Day seeing the greatest rise of almost
7.4%, while full pallet volumes have increased by almost 8% in the
period.”
APN members are confident 2019 will be another record volume
year, forecasting volumes in excess of 20 million pallets.
“The networks are handling the increase in volumes impeccably,”
noted Sanders, “Service levels remain high – over 95.5% of pallets
are delivered within the service criteria across all networks – and
member trunk trailer utilisation consistently exceeds industry
averages, at nearly 76% in 2018.”
Paul continued, “Our members are investing heavily in technology,
vehicles and state of the art facilities across the country, which
supports their members to deliver great service to their customers,
reflecting the highly professional services now offered by the pallet
network sector.”
The APN continues to support the RHA/HSE Tail Lift working Group
which is making progress in developing a Guidance document for
drivers when carrying out Tail Lift deliveries. The APN also works
to encourage safe working practices across the networks. Sanders
explained, “Our collaborative approach to health and safety
continues to deliver high levels of safety in the workplace and has
contributed to the enviable rate of fewer than 0.78 accidents per
100,000 pallets delivered.”
“Although we are doing well, the sector is still under a great deal
of operational pressure,” explained Sanders. “In particular Brexit,
the driver shortage and a general skills gap at all levels within
organisations continue to be of concern to our members; we will
be working through 2019 to address these issues and ensure the
networks can continue to deliver great service.”
As Christmas approaches, pallet network
sector braced for record volumes
Paul Sanders, Chairman
of the Association of
Pallet Networks
As the British economy faces a season of uncertainty & relentless
market pressure, APNmembers are steadfast in their ability to deliver Christmas
Paul Sanders, Chairman of the Association of Pallet Networks, comments on its members’ latest
operational statistics:
Walkers Transport, a leading UK transport and third-party
logistics specialist with operations in Manchester and Leeds,
has rolled out a new management training programme which
aims todevelop leaders of the future and support the continued
growth of the business.
Theinternaltrainingprogramme,whichisavailabletoitsmanagerial
team across the two depots, is being delivered by Meg Burton from
Cube Learning & Development. It aims to help delegates operate as
effective and independent leaders of their functions, arm themwith
the skills to effectively coach and develop their teams and educate
them on how they canmanage and deliver change.
Richard Simpson, CEO at Walkers Transport which is a member of
Palletways, Europe’s largest and fastest growing express palletised
freight network, said: “The company went through a management
buyout in October 2017 and this signalled a new era for us and an
opportunity for transformational growth. Wewere keen to kickstart
this process with a programme which encouraged collaboration
and greater self-awareness – all underpinned by management
theory which has an immediate impact. The aim of the programme
is simple – to develop leaders of the future which reinforces the
importance of developing a culture of continuous improvement
living by Walkers’ ‘Can Do’ rules.”
Amy Russell, Group HR Manager added: “Being able to offer
opportunities for growth is important to us and this management
training programme reinforces our culture of continuous
improvement. We’re pleased that 18 managers are enrolled onto
the programme this year. Once they’ve completed the training,
they’ll have an enhanced capability to successfully coach, manage
and develop their teams. More importantly, they will realise the
impact and influence theyhave toevoke changeanddrive employee
engagement. We believe that this will benefit their careers and, in
turn, the future prosperity of Walkers.”
MegBurton, LeadConsultant&ExecutiveCoachat Cube, concluded:
“Cube has a strong background in warehousing, logistics and
transport. We felt wewerewell-placed toworkwithWalkers to help
them develop their managers, so they feel more confident to lead
their people as the business drives forward their growth strategy.”
Walkers Transport is one of over 115 independent transport
providers that are part of Palletways’ UK network. They benefit from
shared expertise and resources from within the group to deliver
consignments of palletised freight to market faster and more cost-
effectively than ever before. The Palletways Group comprises 400
depots and 20 hub operations, through which it provides collection
and distribution services across 20 European countries, including
the UK.
Cube Learning & Development has been helping organisations
shape their future through their people over the last ten years. Cube
works closely with business leaders to design and deliver bespoke
training solutions that works for their culture, their environment
and that is aligned to their business strategy.
Walkers Transport rolls out management training
programme