The Association of Pallet Networks (APN) has revealed a 16% increase in volumes for the first quarter of 2014 compared with the same period last year, with members delivering more than 4.6 million pallets between January and March.
APN chairman Paul Sanders also announced the organisation’s continuing support and sponsorship of the FairFuelUK (FFUK) campaign for 2014, recognising that fuel is an operator’s single biggest cost, no matter what their size.
Speaking of the sector’s first quarter’s double-digit growth, Sanders said a burgeoning confidence in pallet networks to transport high-value goods has driven up volumes, as had a 17.5% boost in next-day services, which now comprise 65% of all pallets shipped via APN.
“The image of pallet networks has changed in recent years” said Sanders. “Confidence in the services offered by the networks has improved and we are seeing a change in the type of freight being handled in pallet networks, with increasing volumes of hi-tech, high-value products being carried.”
He added that consistent growth has been seen across all pallet sizes, with quarter pallet services experiencing the largest growth compared with last year, at almost 20% for the first quarter of 2014. More than 21% of all pallets shipped fall into the quarter pallet size services.
The consolidation of freight within pallet networks enables hauliers to maximise their trunk trailer utilisation, and minimise the number of vehicle movements, added Sanders, with members’ trunk trailers consistently more than 74% full, with this figure rising every year.
APN comprises eight pallet networks in the UK - Palletways, Fortec, Palletline, United Pallet Network, Pallet Track, Pall-Ex (who rejoined the network in January 2014), Palletforce and The Pallet Network – which in turn represents a total of 650-plus hauliers, almost 30,000 vehicles and more than 13 million ft² of warehouse space.
