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Adams ejected from TPN
Page 5
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• Pallet firm The Pallet Network (TPN) has moved to head off criticism of lax vetting procedures by moving to dismiss its newest and most controversial member.
Wellingborough haulier J Adams & Sons (Warehousing) had signed up with the Leicesterbased pallet operation just days before two of its associated companies—J Adams & Sons and J Adams & Sons (Felixstowe)—were placed into receivership ( CM6-12 Feb).
To add an extra twist, one of the two now-defunct firms was in rival pallet system United Pallet Network (UPN), provoking howls of protest from its members who were left footing a £50,000 bill.
It later emerged that J Adams & Sons (Warehousing) had approached TPN almost a month before its associated firms went under.
However, this week TPN boss Jim Scanlan confirmed that J
Adams & Sons (Warehousing) had been asked to leave the network after it attempted to renegotiate its membership conditions. He says: "When the situation came to light, we asked for a bond up front. I understand they lost a big contract and their volumes went down.
"They said they needed to reduce the bond and we told them it was not up for re-negotiation. We don't believe they were completely honest with us when they came on-board."
But one TPN member criticised the decision to accept them into the network in the first place. "I didn't want to see them pull our network down; without the hub we would be in trouble.
"There are several members of TPN that are pleased they are no longer in the network," he continues.
Those owed money by the collapse of J Adams & Sons were equally forthright: "It's about time that TPN sat up and took notice, although I think they've done the right thing here," says Bob McCulloch from Stonehouse-based McCulloch European Transport, which is owed £10,000 by Adams.
"I think the members put pressure on the hierarchy at the hub saying: 'We shouldn't be taking freight from them'," J Adams & Sons (Warehousing) declined to comment.