William Kirk completes journey from Palletline to Palletforce

Kinaxia Logistics-owned William Kirk has officially completed its move to Palletforce, which is part of rival grouping EV Cargo.

Last year Palletforce chief executive Michael Conroy confirmed to motortransport.co.uk that the Macclesfield, Cheshire based haulier was joining the pallet network from Palletline.

Conroy stated that he had no issue with Kinaxia-owned companies forming part of Palletforce’s haulier membership.

This is a contrast to member-owned Palletline’s policy of limiting the number of hauliers that are part of the Kinaxia group within its network.

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William Kirk merged in June with another group company, BC Transport, which was purchased from administration by Kinaxia Logistics in 2017.

William Kirk, incorporating BC Transport, is covering Palletforce operations in the SK area (as BC Transport did previously).

William Kirk MD Carl Wagstaffe said: “Palletforce is a quality network and one of the leaders in their field when it comes to investment and innovation.

“We are proud to play a part in their ongoing success and look forward to offering a great service to their members and customers.”

Conroy said: “We are delighted to welcome William Kirk into the Palletforce family.

“They are an established force in the north west and I have no doubt they will prove to be a major asset as we continue to invest in the network to deliver the highest quality, safety and service.”

Merger of BC Transport and William Kirk

Kinaxia Logistics said it had decided to merge the hauliers as the two companies had worked closely together after BC Transport's rescue.

This meant the blending of the workforces was straightforward, according to Kinaxia Logistics and the Palletforce members have together operated from the Adlington site that was originally the operational head office of William Kirk.

"The fundamental driver of the transition was the streamlining of operations. Both subsidiaries were Palletforce members, therefore it made sense for them to operate as one entity serving the SK postcode for the pallet network, the company said in a statement.

"This will leave a larger fleet of vehicles at their disposal, as well as back end office staff, serving to enhance performance, increase efficiencies and provide a positive impact on service levels," it added.