II The Jigsaw concept is not without precedents. In East
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Anglia the alliance between Knowles (Transport), Jack Richards Transport and R Corn working on contract to HL Foods under the Vfisbech Roadways banner has been running for around four-and-a-half years.
Ian Ramsey from Knowles has worked extensively on the project. He says: "We have been consistently promoting the virtues of co-operation within the haulage industry to enable us to compete on equal terms with the big boys.
It allows us to mobilise the resources of privately-owned companies to act, as opportunity arises, for the really big contracts."
lie adds: "You have to be very careful how you manage the contract—you need to ensure that everyone involved shares the pain as well as the gain.
But at the end of the day I think we wanted to put a stick in the ground and say It can be done'."
Additionally the 55-member strong Transport Association is considering setting up a similar firm to Jigsaw. If a positive decision is made, says vice-chairman Martin Brown, of Grimsby flrm Ill Brown, things will move ahead rapidly in the new year.
He adds that If any company is formed then it would consist of 20-30 operators operating In a range of sectors— including chilled. So far names connected with the project are TH Brown; Baylis Distribution; Meachers Transport; James Nathan & Sons; Simpson Bros: and Evans Transport.