Looking Back | DBL Logistics in 2019
As we are getting into the swing of 2020, we can now reflect on a big 2019 for DBL Logistics. Starting the year with celebration and award wins, and ending with big moves going into an exciting period for the company.
2019 will be looked back on as a milestone year for DBL Logistics, as we move into a new chapter in the company’s history.
New Member of our Fleet
We started 2019 with the introduction of a brand new member of our fleet – a next generation Scania G450.
This was the third fleet investment overseen by Operations Director, Adam Boyd (TechIOSH) since he joined the business in January 2017. Cementing our relationship with Scania UK, we are committed to lowering emissions within the UK, by making fleet upgrades and installing specialist monitoring software.
As well as being eco-friendly, the truck isn’t bad looking either…
Award Winning Service | Pall-Ex Annual Awards 2019
After huge success in UPN, we joined Pall-Ex and became a dual-network depot. After months of adjusting to life as a member of two networks, our hard work was rewarded with recognition at the Annual Pall-Ex Awards.
We were announced “New Depot of the Year” in front of our colleagues in the network, and the host Paddy McGuiness.
This award was the culmination of our biggest year yet in terms of pallet numbers and customers. But more so, the dedication of our staff, from customer services and traffic, to warehouse and drivers.
We were now going into 2019 as an award winning depot on two national networks, but change was still around the corner.
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- Pallex Annual Awards
A fresh look for a modernising company | New Website Reveal
We proudly unveiled our new website in October. With improved user-experience and a fresh modern look. This was all part of a larger re-brand that was beginning at DBL Logistics.
As we moved through 2019, it became more and more clear that this would be a milestone year in the company’s history.
A new truck and website for an award winning depot was just the beginning in the changes and transitions that DBL Logistics experienced.
Working Together, Winning Together | A proud member of Pall-Ex
After dual networking with UPN and Pall-Ex, DBL Logistics took the decision to commit fully to the Pall-Ex network. This commitment meant DBL were on board with one of the country’s biggest pallet networks, at a time when it was focused on aggressive expansion within the UK and Europe.
Dropping UPN was a difficult decision, but one that was made with our customer’s best interests in mind. We see our commitment to Pall-Ex as a necessary step toward the service level we want to provide to our customers – with not only the size of the network and the number of member depots, but also the networks dedication to providing industry leading technology, with the introduction of MyNexus.
With uprecendented visibility, offering complete track and trace for all consignments as they move from collection right through to delivery, MyNexus was a piece of software that the industry was crying out for.
As a sole member of Pall-Ex, we became an important member of a network with amibitions that alligned with our own, at a time when we recognised the need for our customers to have access to the traceability the network offers.
Our move to Pall-Ex in 2019 was a big step in our story, but that wasn’t all the year had in store.
Mercedes Actros 5 | Second fleet investment of the year
Following the purchase of the Scania G450 back in January 2019, our Operations Director, Adam Boyd (TechIOSH) headed up yet another significant investment into our fleet of vehicles.
The investment saw our fleet kitted out with the latest in automated driving technology, with the safest and most eco-friendly vehicles available on the market today. The Mercedes Actros 5 won the 2020 International Truck of the Year at the Motor Transport Awards, and this came as no surprise given the myriad of features the truck boasts.
The significant investment into our fleet saw us add three of the Mercedes Actros 5 trucks. As well as being state-of-the-art in nature, the trucks also sported our re-designed branding to match the colours of our partners, Pall-Ex.
A network owned by its members | Pall-Ex sold to member depots
The October news that Pall-Ex was being sold by its founder, owner, chairwoman and Dragon’s Den star, Hilary Devey CBE came as we were committing to the network. The news meant that the network was being sold to a group of its member depots – those that are responsible for the service level provided.
In real terms, for customers of DBL Logistics, this means that we have a voice and a bigger say in decisions made by the network to ensure it performs at the absolute best it can.
The acquistion is belived to be the first of its kind, and now DBL Logistics along with other fellow members, are key decision makers for the network as a whole.
Committed to making 2020 even better
We are now an established member of the Pall-Ex network, our dedication to the services provided evidenced by our stake as a shareholder member.
2019 saw major investment in our fleet, a new website, a rebrand, and a new network. With all these developments, our award winning team are now well placed to make 2020 even better.
"On top of this, we saw our move to Pall-Ex as an opportunity for better service and even more competitive prices for our South Yorkshire client base. We were a founding member of UPN for over 17 years, so the decision wasn't taken lightly.
"However, as the owner of Pall-Ex was looking to sell, the move proved to be a master stroke as us, the network membership, were given a fantastic opportunity to be masters of our own destiny and to own our own network.
"This ensures our best interests would always be at the heart of the decision-making process, and our best interests are always with our customers in mind.
"Going into 2020, we want to make all of the big moves we made in 2019 into visible improvements in the service we provide.
"You never know what the future will hold, but with the work ethic of our team and now the fleet and software to boot, we have no doubts that DBL Logistics will go from strength to strength"
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