Palletline has officially opened its Coventry hub, which acts as a consolidation point for its rapidly growing work for online retailer Amazon.
Revealed by MT in January of this year, the hub has been up and running for several weeks but was given a launch event on Monday (30 April).
Located at Siskin Parkway West, Middlemarch Business Park, the hub was officially opened by TV presenter and race driver Tiff Needell (pictured right with Palletline MD Graham Leitch).
The new 180,000ft² hub includes 138,000ft² of warehouse space, 28,000ft² of exterior canopied area and 14 000ft² of offices.
The pallet network holds Amazon’s preferred carrier status for inbound deliveries, and handles the bookings and administration for its members, who then run into Amazon’s 22 fulfilment centres around the UK.
Palletline member Reason Transport will relocate its depot to the new hub as well as servicing Amazon’s Daventry fulfillment centre from the location.
Palletline operations Director Richard Gutsell, said: “The new facility will replace Palletline’s Warwickshire hub near Rugby which is scheduled to close in May.
“The ongoing transfer is going to be done in a number of phases, but we have already started the process.”
“Once the closure of the Warwickshire hub is complete, Palletline’s other customers located there will transfer to the new secondary facility.”
Gutsell added: “As a separate sortation facility for Amazon freight, it will have the added benefit of relieving pressure and freeing up capacity for the standard freight moving through the network.
“It has not only secured employment in Coventry, but added to it with 20 new positions already created at the new hub.”
Palletline’s Rugby hub was run by Panic Transport, now part of Kinaxia Logistics, which is leaving the Palletline network.