Paul Elson named as MD of Palletline Logistics as subsidary breaks through £30m turnover mark

Palletline has appointed a new MD to head up its directly owned members business, Palletline Logistics, after the combined turnover of the hauliers within in it sailed past £30m.

Paul Elson, who was head of operations at Certas Energy, has taken the reins of a subsidiary that comprises hauliers S&S Distribution, Mike Watson Transport, ABE Ledbury and Fast Forward Distribution, as well as Palletline London.

Collectively the companies, purchased for various reasons over the past few years, are authorised to run up to 171 vehicles across multiple O-licences.

In a statement, the pallet network said that in addition to the strategic intent of ensuring continuity of service across the UK, the appointment of Elson – effective immediately – demonstrated its desire to focus on the continued growth of the businesses making up Palletline Logistics.

Read more

• Palletline purchases long-term network member Fast Forward Distribution
• Palletline kicks out member DTS to ‘guarantee network integrity’; haulier blames action for its collapse
• Palletline officially opens new Coventry hub to support growing Amazon volume

Elson (pictured), who has also worked at Veolia UK, said: “I am looking forward to a new set of challenges and firmly believe I will be able to further build on the current success of Palletline Logistics and steer its profitable growth in the coming months and years for the benefit of the wider Palletline community”.

Graham Leitch, group MD of Palletline, said: “We welcome Paul’s knowledge and experience to the board, reaffirming our commitment to developing the business by investing in the talent necessary to deliver results.

“Palletline Logistics has emerged as a major contributor to the UK logistics sector in its own right, and we are proud of our achievements thus far, however we are looking forwards and towards continued growth under Paul’s leadership”.

With an annual turnover in excess of £30m, Palletline Logistics qualifies financially for inclusion in the Motor Transport Top 100 of the biggest companies in road transport.

The most recently published accounts for Palletline covering the twelve months to June 2018, show Palletline Logistics' turnover grew 32% year on year to £24m. This would not include Fast Forward Distribution, which was purchased late last year.