West Suffolk-based transport company Cross Country Carriers has hailed a record-breaking annual performance by the Palletways UK network, of which it is part.

Palletways has carried 5.4m pallets in the past 12 months, beating its previous annual record by around 300,000 and including its largest ever daily volume on April 11 this year, when it handled 27,017 pallets.

Strong spikes in traffic were also recorded over Christmas 2016 and Easter this year, with volumes benefiting from an increase is membership of the UK network form 107 to 113 as well as strong demand.

Jon Humphreys, managing director at Cross Country Carriers, which is based in Bury St Edmunds, said: “Our team works extremely hard to respond to customer demand and move pallets quickly and efficiently through the Palletways network. The network is strong and resilient enough to take on whatever pallet volumes our customers want to move, even at the busiest times of last year.

“Technology, such as our Digital Information Hub which monitors pallet traffic and in-cab pallet label printing, enable us to function as part of a well-oiled machine. The fact that Cross Country can offer services across Europe and provide an industry-first two-hour time notification pallet delivery window in the UK has helped the network hit new pallet movement highs.”

Further growth is expected this year, due to a combination of new members, the development of ordering via the www.palletwaysonline.com website and a recent hub expansion in Lodz, near Warsaw, in Poland.

Dave Walmsley, Palletways UK managing director, added: “The figures for last year are outstanding and represent our biggest year on record.

“Our members, like Cross Country Carriers, are the most important part of the Palletways UK success story and record breaking year. Dedication to customer service excellence and embracing innovative digital technology are crucial elements for us to match customer expectations and deliver even higher pallet volumes.”