Palletised and sanitised

Since it was launched as a central collection/delivery hub in Mullingar in July 2004, PalletXpress has enjoyed phenomenal success. Irish Trucker caught up with MD Tommy Carr to get an update.

Based on a simple yet ingenious concept and headed by well-known Dublin GAA celebrity Tommy Carr, PalletXpress has emerged as a key player in the efficient movement of palletised freight throughout Ireland. The company was launched as Ireland’s first independent hub some 18 months ago and has provided the road freight distribution sector in this country with a much-needed breath of fresh air.

Stefan Strilaiw acts as PalletXpress Transport Manager

Through a network of handpicked, reputable members, an experienced team of hub operators and a state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, PalletXpress offers customers a comprehensive range of services, including a guaranteed next-day collection and delivery service throughout the 32 counties, an on-line booking facility through members’ websites or via www.palletxpress.com (on-line tracking and POD information is also available in real time), and warehousing and inventory management services. Small consignments (one-six pallets) are a specialty.
Operating out of a strategically chosen central hub in Mullingar Industrial Estate, PalletXpress has put in place a network that allows for cost effective and speedy movement of palletised goods throughout the 32 counties.

As the PalletXpress hub is located in Mullingar, it takes traffic away from Dublin, the traditional focal point for most freight traffic. PalletXpress members run their trailers at off-peak hours, thus reducing the number of trucks on the most congested routes in the country.

PalletXpress MD Tommy Carr

PalletXpress has 16 member hauliers, each responsible for collection and distribution in their designated region. The beauty for each member is that, apart from a daily drop-off/collection at the Mullingar hub, they only collect and distribute within their own geographical area. It’s a smooth, streamlined and extremely practical arrangement, expertly overseen by Tommy and his team in the midlands.

The brainchild of Kieran Conlon (Transland Group), who approached former Dublin footballer/manager Tommy to carry out a feasibility study on a business plan (based on the model operating successfully in the UK for years), PalletXpress has come a long way inside its first 18 months and there exists huge potential for further growth of the company.

By pooling the resources of its carefully selected member hauliers, PalletXpress allows each of these individual operators to offer a reliable nationwide service to their customers while concentrating on collections and deliveries within their own area. Through this system, PalletXpress can guarantee a next-day, nationwide service to all customers, while members can substantially reduce their operating costs and benefit from greater efficiencies.

Donie Naughton is Sales Manager with the company

Working through the central hub in Mullingar allows members to significantly reduce operation costs and also reduces traffic congestion at peak times, especially as the hub operation is conducted during the night. This in turn allows for later cut-off times for collection and earlier deliveries.

Mullingar (as opposed to Dublin) was specifically chosen by PalletXpress as a base due to its central location within the 32 counties as well as its relative proximity to the capital. With ongoing improvements to the road network as well as the infrastructure in the midlands/Mullingar region, it is an inspired choice of location. “We’re 35/40 minutes from the Spa Hotel in Lucan, which means we’re as accessible from Dublin as if you were travelling from Tallaght to Swords,” Tommy notes.

Dedicated to providing excellent customer service and raising standards within the Irish freight sector, PalletXpress uses a sophisticated ProStrategy IT system to centralise all operations and dealings between members. The use of barcoding technology allows customers to track their consignments from collection through to delivery via the internet. PalletXpress is also currently in negotiations with a UK-based company called Magicom, who will provide real time signature capture.

Tommy Carr outside the company�s Mullingar premises

PalletXpress is one of the first pallet networks in Europe to build an integrated barcoding solution into its technology infrastructure, to record the progress of every consignment within the PalletXpress system. The status of each transaction is registered from the moment of collection and this process continues right through to delivery, so that up-to-date tracking information is available at all times. Furthermore, customers can access this information any time through the PalletXpress website, giving them total visibility and greater control regarding the whereabouts of their consignments.

Customers can also make bookings online and access Proof of Delivery information within 24 hours of delivery.
PalletXpress operates from a 26,000 sq ft facility. Fully racked warehousing space will be available later this year at a purpose-built site in Mullingar, which enables customers to avail of a range of logistics services. Because PalletXpress is an autonomous operation, independent of all members, it can govern the performance of each member in a fair and equitable manner, ensuring the highest quality of service for all customers.
PalletXpress members are among the most respected and reliable hauliers in the country. They have undergone rigorous vetting by PalletXpress prior to admission, and each member has specialist knowledge of the palletised freight market.

How does the network operate? Individual transport companies join as member depots, and are assigned specific geographic areas where they have sole responsibility for collection and delivery. Each member delivers locally-collected consignments into the PalletXpress hub five nights a week, for delivery to all other areas in Ireland. These pallets are unloaded, sorted into designated delivery areas and reloaded according to their final destination and the member responsible for delivery.
As all members operate in the same way, this system generates back-load traffic for each depot, enabling members to increase cost-efficiency on the return leg of the journey. Signed Proof of Delivery (POD) documents are brought back to the hub by each member on a next-day basis, where they are scanned and made available on the internet.

Tommy Carr speaks briefly of the benefit of a network such as PalletXpress: “Traditionally, if a particular haulier wanted to distribute across the country, he would have to subcontract a lot of work out, which gave rise to obvious disadvantages in terms of cost and administration. We have established an independent hub at the geographic centre of Ireland, based on the models that exist in the UK and Germany.”
At present, PalletXpress is turning over between 600 and 700 pallets per night, which are dropped off and then re-loaded almost instantly for immediate nationwide delivery. By allowing customers to access the status of their consignments via the world wide web, PalletXpress guarantees absolute transparency right across its system. Furthermore, PalletXpress’ status as a wholly independent entity facilities equality and harmony throughout the network.

All 16 members visit the hub each night and they invariably carry a full load both in and out. Members are paid fixed rates depending on how far they are located from the hub. They invoice the hub when they drop off a consignment and the hub in turn invoices them for the work it has done on their behalf.
To ensure that standards are maintained to the highest possible level, PalletXpress insists on its members adhering to a Code of Conduct.

Business increased by 20% last year and PalletXpress will move to a new purpose-built facility in Mullingar in September to facilitate further growth. Is continuing growth likely? “Very much so. We have struck an agreement with the developer to freeze more land here for the next two years and we may branch into on-site warehousing. The vast improvements being made to the road network open up a whole new vista of possibilities.
“We employ 14 at the moment and most of the 16 members are shareholders who have invested their own money into the business. It’s beginning to wash its face.

“We see ourselves as the operations centre for one large distribution company. We provide the discipline and the standards that members must meet across the board.
“We provide hauliers with a tool to offset rising costs. They can shed surplus vehicles as they are making less runs, which are also locally based. Members can take care of their nationwide distribution with one daily run to Mullingar.”
The simplest ideas are always the best.