Palletways has invested in a new eco-friendly hub that will speed up deliveries to the Catalan area and Balearic Islands.
The new 2,100sq m hub in Palletways’ Iberia network is situated in the intermodal logistics zone known as ZAL, in the Port of Barcelona.
Announcing the launch, Palletways said the move is in response to growing demand for logistics services in the region, and will help the network deliver pallets in a faster and more environmentally conscious way, as well as offering hourly, flexible services.
The hub will initially handle domestic shipments, which will free up capacity at the network’s hubs in Madrid and Zaragoza which handle international consignments from the group’s networks in the UK, Benelux, Germany, Hungary and Italy.
Luis Zubialde, Palletways Group chief executive, said: “We’re constantly looking for ways that we can refine how we do things to provide our members and their customers with an even better service. We’re delighted the new Barcelona hub is a reality – it will optimize our domestic operation and increase efficiencies across the group.
“Our new facility at ZAL is part of our strategy to expand and improve our Group-wide services. While we’ll initially concentrate on the domestic business, the geographic location boasts links to France, Andorra and northeast Spain which will help us realise our ambitious plans for it to become an international hub, future-proofing the network for the long-term.”
Rob Gittins, Palletways UK MD added: “This investment sends out a strong message to the market about our unwavering commitment to continually refine what we do. In time, the Barcelona hub will provide our members and their customers with a more efficient gateway to the Catalan region and Balearics which is an exciting prospect for the UK market.”
The new hub will allow a greater and greener flow of goods but importantly, it will help to minimize Palletways’ impact on the environment. It features a wealth of eco-friendly features such as LED lighting, consumption management systems for optimum use of resources and space to accommodate mega-trucks and high-capacity vehicles.
The launch of the new operation in Barcelona takes the number of hubs in Palletways’ Iberia network to four across Spain and Portugal.
