EV Cargo Ladies Triple Finalists At Everywoman Transport & Logistics Awards
Three women from global logistics and technology business EV Cargo have reached the final of the prestigious Amazon everywoman in Transport & Logistics awards.
Danielle Owen, Jo Duncan and Kate Lovatt have all been recognised as leading women in the UK transport and logistics sector, which employs 17 million people in the country.
Danielle is in the running for the Freight Award – Above & Beyond honour, while Kate has been nominated for the Tech Innovator Award and Jo is in the final of the Freight Award – Leader category.
The everywoman awards celebrate the vital contribution women make to the transport and logistics sector and have a special significance this year. For the first time – thanks to the knock-on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic – there has been an increase in the number of women entering the industry and Danielle, Jo and Kate are seen as inspirations to others in a sector where essential workers helped distribute critical supplies, food and everyday essentials during the lockdowns.
Danielle is head of marketing and communications and was at the forefront of the pandemic response, creating and managing a nationwide digital marketing campaign after freight volumes fell dramatically when the first lockdown was imposed. Her swift actions helped volumes not only recover but saw them rise to record levels. She also led the rebranding of five EV Cargo divisions – all while home schooling her young son.
Jo has been recognised for her work during an unprecedented year. She is the general manager of the Express division’s Palletforce SuperHub, in Burton upon Trent, which deals with 24,000 pallets of freight, delivered by 500 trucks, every night. Her work ensuring that freight kept moving, while also looking after the physical and mental health of her team and helping to keep the 500 daily visiting drivers safe, has singled her out as one of the industry’s star performers.
Kate has spearheaded the development of EV Cargo’s award-winning technology, which has been instrumental in the company being able to handle the record volumes of freight in the past year. She helped introduce artificial intelligence technology to improve service and sustainability, while at the same time boosting contactless delivery to keep workers safe during the pandemic.
EV Cargo chief executive Heath Zarin said: “EV Cargo believes that being a diverse, equitable and inclusive industry is key to our success. It’s incredibly important to encourage women to enter the sector and to provide opportunities to rise to the levels that their talents deserve. Thanks to their leadership, ingenuity and professionalism, Dani, Jo and Kate have reached the finals of these prestigious awards and we wish them the best of luck for the final.”
Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman, said: “In our finalists we see the passion, dedication, skills and leadership that has kept transport and logistics dynamic and resilient and that kept the country moving in the most unprecedented times.”
The winners will be announced during an online ceremony on 8 July.
Palletforce Highly Commended for Enabling Business at National Business Awards
Global freight distribution network Palletforce went head to head with some of the UK’s leading companies at the prestigious Lloyds Bank National Business Awards.
And the company finished runner-up and was highly commended by judges in the Vonage Nexmo Business Enabler of the Year category, which celebrates businesses that help their customers or clients increase sales and profitability through a competitive advantage.
In order to reach the shortlist, finalists had to demonstrate their ability to proactively enable business, increasing sales and profitability by developing talent and diversity and catalysing innovation.
Palletforce impressed the judges with its proven investments to connect trade and create network capacity to enable its member businesses to grow. By boosting infrastructure, services and utilising industry-leading technology, the company has maximised the growth potential of its network of over 100 individual transport companies and their thousands of customers.
The £50m state-of-the-art distribution SuperHub at its Burton upon Trent headquarters has created the capacity to enable growth and led to record volumes this year.
The company has connected trade by expanding European services to 25 countries, while new routes to exciting markets across Asia have recently been launched – allowing members to offer new services to their customers.
Members have benefitted from Palletforce’s award winning and industry-leading technology, including its bespoke Alliance IT system, which has helped drive efficiency and offer the best possible tracking of freight on the move. The introduction of patented weighing and imaging software for its fleet of forklift trucks ensures Palletforce is the only network with the ability to weight, scan, and photo every pallet of freight passing through its network.
Michael Conroy, Palletforce chief executive officer, said: “Just to be shortlisted as a finalist for a prestigious National Business Award is a major achievement, and we are delighted that the judges were impressed with what they saw.
“Our members and their customers are central to everything we do as a network, and we constantly strive to connect international trade and create the capacity to enable growth for our members through the expansion of new services and continual investment in both technology and infrastructure.”
The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, known as the Oscars of the business world, have a long-standing history of celebrating the best of British business.
Brand director Sarah Austin said: “The awards are an accolade to true, world-class achievements. Due to the high-level of competition witnessed this year, all finalists should feel incredibly proud.”
This year’s event took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Palletforce shortlisted at National Business Awards
The UK’s leading freight distribution network Palletforce has been shortlisted for a top award at the prestigious 2018 Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, for the fourth year in a row.
The Vonage Nexmo Business Enabler of the Year award celebrates businesses that help their customers or clients increase sales and profitability through a competitive advantage.
Finalists in the category must demonstrate their ability to enable business, increasing their sales and profitability by developing talent and diversity and catalysing innovation.
Palletforce has invested heavily on maximising the potential its network of over 100 individual transport companies.
The last 12 months have seen the opening of a new £50m distribution SuperHub at their Burton upon Trent headquarters, hugely increasing capacity and leading to record volumes across the board.
Significant growth has been achieved by the expansion of European services to 24 countries, while new routes to exciting markets across Asia have recently been launched by Palletforce Asia Services. These developments have allowed members to grow by offering new services to their customers, allowing SMEs to compete with larger organisations.
Palletforce has already initiated major upgrades to its bespoke Alliance IT system; but an ongoing commitment to innovation has seen major investment in new technology, such as the introduction of award-winning patented scanning software for its fleet of Super FLTs.
Michael Conroy, Palletforce chief executive officer, said: “Our members and their customers are central to everything we do as a network, and we constantly strive to maximise their potential. The investment in the SuperHub provide the future capacity to enable growth for our members and the expansion of new services and continual investment in both technology and infrastructure provides the platform our members need to attract and retain customers.
“We are therefore delighted to be shortlisted for this award, and look forward to making our final presentation to the judges.”
The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, known as the Oscars of the business world, have a long-standing history of celebrating the best of British business.
Brand director Sarah Austin said: “The awards are an accolade to true, world-class achievements. Due to the high-level of competition witnessed this year, all finalists should feel incredibly proud.”
The winners will be revealed on November 13 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Safety award caps another golden year for Palletforce
Palletforce has achieved the gold standard once again for its commitment to health and safety in the workplace.
The award of a prestigious Gold Medal by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is an unprecedented ninth consecutive success for the UK’s leading palletised distribution network, who have been recognised as leaders in health and safety every year since 2010.
Gold medals, along with president’s awards, orders of distinction and the Patron’s Award are presented to organisations sustaining high standards of the gold level over consecutive years.
And the announcement marks a unique double for Palletforce, with health and safety manager Beverley Knight winning H&S Leader of the Year at the recent Talent In Logistics Awards.
Palletforce operations director Mark Tapper said: “To win the RoSPA Gold Medal for a ninth time is testament to our commitment to be the best and a tremendous achievement for everyone at Palletforce – and it is fitting that this award should coincide with Beverley’s success.
“Health and safety protocols at work for all our people, our members and anyone who may be affected by our work activities, remains our number one priority.
“Having excellent health and safety procedures in place means we can keep ourselves and our members at the forefront of the industry and really helps us consolidate our position as the number one quality express pallet network.”
Palletforce was presented with the Gold Medal during a ceremony at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole hotel in July.
Julia Small, RoSPA’s head of awards and events, said: “The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.”
Game-changing technology earns Palletforce top industry award
Palletforce is celebrating a famous win at the transport industry’s premier awards event after topping the Best Use of Technology category at the Motor Transport Awards.
The UK’s leading freight distribution network beat off stiff competition from finalists Tarmac Trading, Cawley’s Waste Management, and Eddie Stobart Logistics. However, the judges were most impressed by Palletforce’s £1.3 million investment in technology to create a fleet of Super Forklift trucks which deliver benefits across its membership.
Boasting sector-leading innovation, the Super Forklifts are equipped with patented weighing technology, meaning Palletforce is the only network with the capability to weigh every pallet passing through its hub to enable safer loading of vehicles and handling of pallets.
State-of-the-art imaging and scanning technology on each machine has helped improve pallet handling and reduce turnaround times by 20 per cent, while also providing additional tracking information to members.
The reduction in sortation times allow member trunk vehicles to return to depots earlier and improve service levels by getting delivery vehicles on the road sooner.
Michael Conroy, Palletforce chief executive, said: “We are thrilled with this award as it is a result of our continued investment in technology and proof that Palletforce continues to lead innovation, not just within the pallet sector, but the wider industry as a whole. We aim to use our technology expertise to support our expansion in Europe and Asia, and are investigating the use of artificial intelligence to help take our business to the next level.”
Dean Hughes, Palletforce IT director, said: “The award acknowledges our strive to introduce technology to keep Palletforce at the forefront of innovation and deliver operational and commercial benefits to our members. This technology is exclusive to the Palletforce network and has improved operations and ensured consignments are loaded intelligently bearing in mind both safety and fuel efficiency.”
This year’s Motor Transport Awards were held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 4 July. Palletforce was also shortlisted in the Apprenticeship of the Year and Business Excellence categories.
Record service levels celebrated at Palletforce awards
The Magnificent Seven stole the show at the Palletforce annual Gala Awards Dinner, as the UK’s leading distribution network gathered to celebrate another year of unrivaled success.
Judges in the prestigious Robert Bedford Award, for Palletforce Depot of the Year, were unable to choose a winner from a high-class shortlist.
Instead they awarded the accolade jointly to seven members: S J Bargh Ltd, Nidd Transport Ltd, JBT Distribution Ltd, Westfield Transport (Cornwall) Ltd, Evans Transport Ltd, Baynes & Son Haulage Ltd and Edwin C Farrall (Transport) Ltd.
And, because each depot registered 100 per cent service levels in the last 12 months, they also became the first members of an exclusive new club.
The Palletforce 100% Club not only recognises their remarkable achievements, but will serve as a benchmark for other members to aspire to.
Palletforce chief executive officer Michael Conroy, who also received a special award marking 10 years at the helm of the network, said: “Once again the standard was incredibly high and we felt we had no option but to present the award to all seven depots in recognition of their outstanding efforts over the last 12 months.
“It is not easy to achieve a perfect service record, and so the 100% Club was created this year to mark a remarkable clean sweep by our award winners. I look forward to welcoming more members into the club in the coming years.”
The Gala Awards, which acknowledge the achievements of Palletforce members across the UK, was attended by more than 450 guests, with awards being presented in eight different categories. The theme of the event was “The Greatest Show”.
For the second year running and following many previous years, The Alan O’Leary Award for Member Depot of the Year was won by Dagenham-based Online Roadways. This coveted accolade is voted for by other members who grade each other on quality of service, communication, speed of response to enquiries and flexibility.
Avon Freight Group Ltd won the Health & Safety in Operations award, the Member Service Committee Award went to UK Freight Masters Ltd, Fagan & Whalley Ltd picked up the European Export Sales Award, while Lockwood Haulage collected the Sales and Marketing Award for their tremendous efforts in promoting their own business as well as the Palletforce brand.
Shakespeare Transport Ltd topped a shortlist of seven to win the New Member Award. The Maidstone-based company joined the Palletforce network in 2017. Ten members were jointly named Network and Brand Ambassadors of the Year for their promotion and growth success.
This year’s host at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel Park was TV presenter Gaby Roslin.
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