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PALLETLINE
Page 35
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SETUP: 1992. MEMBERS: 49.
CENTRAL HUB: Birmingham PAYMENT METHOD: Depots charge each other delivery fees on a contra-payment basis, which means relatively small amounts of money change hands.
PALLETS HANDLED PER NIGHT; 9,000 SERVICES: Next day, economy (2(3 day), overnight to Northern Ireland and Eire.
CONTACT: 0121 386 2526; www.palletline.co.ok
• The daddy of them ail. The company says it was "responsible for opening up an entire new market sector within the distribution industry"—and this is no idle boast. Before Palletline was formed, there simply was no such thing as a palletised distribution network. Palletline chairman Bob Russett says: "I am not sorry we were the first, but I suppose it made it easier for those following, learning from our experiences." Members are shareholders in the Birmingham hub, a fact which Palletline maintains gives the system its strength. Despite rival claims that this effectively makes it a closed shop, Russett insists that there is room for new members to join the fold. "We are a reasonably mature system and haven't got the depots which some of the other networks have got," he says. But growth rates of around 25% a year mean that some members aren't able—or don't want—to keep up with volumes, leaving some gaps for newcomers.