Pall-Ex‘s award-winning network of quality haulers collaborate to deliver leading palletized freight distribution services throughout the UK, Europe and beyond. Mark Steel – International Business Unit Managing Director shares how Pall-Ex is making the difference in the logistics industry worldwide.
1. How did you enter the franchise business?
Pall-Ex Group was a UK leading palletized freight distribution network for 15 years before we started franchising the concept. The initial franchising opportunities came from our customers in mainland Europe wanting to replicate the business model in their countries and enable a cost effective freight distribution network.
2. Where and how did the idea of your concept come from?
Pall-Ex was established in response to just in time deliveries, where customers needed a regular or ad hock deliveries of small consignment loads due to the lack of storage at their facilities. With the growing demand for fast and cost effective deliveries of bulky product the concept has took of very quickly and Pall-Ex can be proud of double digit growth in the first decade of their operation. Recent years of growth in ecommerce has further solidify the concept and enabled for a very rapid growth.
3. What inspired the brand name?
As the Story goes, the recently deceased and missed, Hilary Devey wanted a name that would be short, professional and catchy. So it needed to combine elements that would be characteristic of our brand thus, we looked at our core which is “palletized freight” then something that would describe our service which was “express” taking these terms and ideas into account, we eventually came to a conclusion… Pall-Ex! It perfectly embodied the aspects of “express” and Pallets our core freight type into a catchy and now Iconic name.
4. What is the story behind the brand’s logo?
Pall-Ex brand logo is based on the company name, it is simple and explains what we do.
5. What makes your brand different from your competitors?
It’s all in our tag line “Making the Difference”… I know this helps us perform to our best which is why we also instill those values into our members.
I believe that by targeting a niche part of the market we can fully express our tailored approach that make our customer feel valued with a swift, professional service.
6. What are the essential qualities that you look for in a franchisee?
First we look if a company is financially sound and reputable, but that would be nothing without a visionary entrepreneur at the helm to guide the way and create strong networking values for their members by following our core values, however being operationally capable with access to infrastructure is a plus!
7. How long does it take, on average, for your franchisee to realize their investment?
Not only do we consult and advise our franchisee on the best course to fully realize their investment we help project and estimate a timeline for them to work an ideal timeline for their invest but on average we expect about 2 years for full realization if they have followed our guidelines and there is no adverse economical implications.
8. What was the major challenge you faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge for any highly driven individual is to be the best leader you can be. People are the most important assets of any company and driving them to achieve the best they can is always the hardest. I trust my people and always try to lead by example. Recognizing people individual needs is also a key to be a successful leader.
8.1 What is your best achievement?
Probably my greatest achievement in my working life was having my team be consistently in the top 5% of the sales teams, beating KPIs every month for the last few years, before that leading me to be promoted to International Managing Director.
9. How does your business day start?
I am a very active person and I always need to start my day with exercising routine to get me into the right mindset for my business day. I believe in structure and planning. I always get to the office a bit earlier to catch up on emails and set myself my daily goals.
10. What was your best moment throughout your franchise career?
I think there has been few fantastic moment in my Franchising career, however one of the most memorable one is when the Master in Italy has outgrown the mother business (UK business). We are very close to all our franchising partners and we cherish their every success.
11. Where do you see your brand in the next 5 years?
The next 5 years for Pall-Ex is the global development. We have had a great success in Europe and now we are looking for opportunities in US, Australia, Middle East and SE Asia. We are very excited for the next 5 years and the global growth is something we strive for.
12. Any tips you want to impart to our readers who want to be in the franchise industry?
Pall-Ex has a very well accomplished franchising case studies in the transport and distribution market all over Europe. Our 15 year experience in setting up franchising partners proved us that the key to the accomplishment is the entrepreneurial vision of our partners. People can learn things and assets can be replaced, however the values and ideology must be imbedded deep into leaders personality.
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