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Capital move for Palletways
Page 12
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Deliveries to London are about to get easier. Guy Sheppard reports.
A NEW 3,700m2 freight consolidation centre has opened in London to help hauliers avoid paying the congestion charge.
Palletways says the site in Greenford, west London, will cut delivery times and reduce truck traffic in the capital's congestion blackspots.
The hub will also serve a net work of 20 Palletways' members in the South-East when delivering small consignments of palletised freight in the region. Until the hub opened last week all consignments automatically went through the Palletways' national huh in Lichfield, Staffs.
Julian Maturi,MD of Palletways (UK). says: "In two to three years' time we expect over 50% of the volume to come from external transport companies.
"No matter what your overhead structure or management structure is, delivery and driving into London is difficult. What we have done is launch a solution to this problem."
He adds that the density of Palletways coverage in the SouthEast means the distance between member companies, the new hub and delivery points is now relatively short:"Vehicles will be coming into the hub at midnight and move out from their home base at 5-7pm and therefore miss the rush hour traffic."
Steve Hounsham of environmental pressure group Transport 2000 welcomes the initiative: "It takes a lot of effort and organisation to bring loads together in this way: that's why it's not more common."
The hub, which employs 24 people. trades as Palletways London. Palletways (UK) is a shareholder but the site will be run by Steve Thornhill and Mark Hassell, two former bosses of MTH. a foundermember of Palletways when it was launched in 1994.