Record September for pallet network volumes
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CM COVER STORY
RECORD September pallet volumes are a precursor to a buoyant Christmas trading period, according to the Association of Pallet Networks (APN).
Paul Sanders, APN chairman, says: "I think the final quarter of 2010 is going to prove an extremely busy one with a sharp rise on 04 2009 figures, which is encouraging in the current economy" Throughput in September was the highest recorded since APN began collating data in January 2007 In addition, January-November volumes were 14% higher than the same period in 2009, and up 7% on the same 2008 time frame. Of the 2010 yearto-date volumes, next-day services accounted for 61%, while in the last two years there has been a shift towards the use of economy services.
Nigel Parkes, MD at Pallet-Track where November 2009-October 2010 volumes were up 14% on the same period 12 months earlier, says: "We expect 04 to be higher than the same period last year, and ahead of our initial forecasts."
He says that at the start of the year most pallet networks were still feeling uncertain about the economy, "so most forecasts were likely to be have been cautious".
Forted has also confirmed it is experiencing a "manic" period after a year of solid growth