Sanderson Transport and Palletline: A leading partnership.
About Palletline
Palletline was the first pallet network to launch in the UK, in 1992. Their innovative multi-hub model revolutionised the shape of palletised freight distribution and logistics in the UK. Its basis is a unique multi-hub-and-spoke system that maximises cost efficiency and speed, whilst reducing environmental impact by maximising capacities and massively cutting down road mileage. Palletline is 100% member-owned – its dedicated members helping to shape the organisation, and working together with a common ethos of delivering a quality, ‘can-do’ service.
Palletline’s network is based on the principle of collaboration and connection, each member helping the others to move freight quickly and seamlessly through a number of regional hubs, ensuring a complete end-to-end service. Think of it as the ultimate relay race! Palletline relies on the collaboration, commitment and trust between a network of 97 member depots, each responsible for their own region, supporting each other to cover the entire country with a best-in-class service.
Our relationship
Sanderson Transport became a member of Palletline when the network was in its infancy, in 2001. Today, we move in excess of 150,000 pallets a year through Palletline and we are incredibly proud to be part of the UK’s leading network. The basis of our decision to join was Palletline’s member shareholder model, meaning that every haulier works as a true partner, with the mindset that ‘your customer is our customer’. Rather than competing, the Palletline family shares the same culture and mission – working together to consistently deliver the highest standards of service and reliability, for the good of all our customers.
As our business has evolved, so has our relationship, and it has been an honour to work closely with the Palletline team, providing our input and ideas to help shape the network alongside our fellow members over the years. This has extended to representation on Palletline’s Management Membership Committee, now its Member Steering Group, and in July 2023 our Commercial Director Ed Sanderson joined the Palletline Board.
Smaller, regional pods help members work closely, and we have been delighted to lead local forums to help share best practice and offer mentoring and support to newer members.
KEY FACTS:
The difference
Our Palletline membership has supported our ability to grow, helping increase our capacity and streamline our distribution services. Aside from our own groupage offering, Palletline is the optimum choice for those customers who demand flexibility, speed and cost efficiency as primary imperatives.
Palletline’s robust membership criteria offers us peace of mind that our end customers will receive the highest quality distribution service from point of despatch right through to point of delivery, at a competitive rate.
Every network member signs up to a set of values as part of The Palletline Charter and we can be assured that those members provide full nationwide coverage, without the need to involve sub-contractors. This commitment to quality and control ensures Palletline service levels track more than 2% above the industry average (according to the Association of Pallet Networks (APN).
As the only network on Amazon’s Inbound Preferred Carrier Programme, the network is a clear choice for many of our e-commerce customers, and they rank in the top three highest performing European providers for inbound freight. Great connections between the other members and the Amazon fulfilment centres supports our assurance that Palletline will safeguard our customers’ reputation.
Sustainability
In times of unprecedented change and instability, Palletline has stayed ahead of the curve. We’re proud to have contributed to their continuing drive for innovation and new ways of operating that create a domino effect of benefits down to the end customer.
When it comes to sustainability, the Palletline model is the ultimate solution to vastly reduce miles on the road, and maximise freight capacities. Clever capacity planning and routing by the member network further supports our collective commitment to being leaner and greener. The Palletline regional hub-and-spoke system reduces total annual mileage by a massive 4.5 million miles a year compared with a single hub operation, that’s a reduction of almost 8 tonnes of Co2 emissions.
It is currently the only pallet network to hold ISO 50001 and comprehensive data analysis supports their drive to monitor and develop new, more environmentally friendly ways of operating, such as the creation of smart hubs in the future. For members such as Sanderson, the commitment of the central Palletline team and every other member supports our own sustainability goals. Collectively, every small change adds up to create the greatest impact.
A word from Palletline
Sanderson Transport is a quality, family-owned transport business and a valued, long-standing shareholder member. The values at the heart of their business are the same as those at the heart of the Palletline network. Their operation has grown in parallel over the last two decades, and during that time they have been instrumental in the development of Palletline, investing themselves in helping to shape the direction of our network, to innovate, and to support other members in their region.
All our members play a vital role in the success and development of the Palletline network. Sanderson’s hands-on approach and readiness to adapt has helped to set a high standard, driving the network forward to become what it is today, and supporting our collective ambitions for the future.
GRAHAM LEITCH
Managing Director, Palletline Ltd.
To learn more about Palletline and what we can offer, take a look here: Palletline.
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