Fortec Distribution Network celebrates successful year
Fortec’s network of independent hauliers came together to celebrate another successful year with a glamorous awards event
The Northamptonshire-based palletised freight distribution network invited its network of independent haulage companies to its annual awards event on the weekend of 25th February.
The ‘Greatest Showman’ themed event hosted over 700 guests from across the Fortec and Pall-Ex distribution networks, including employees, members and Pall-Ex’s international partners. Held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, the event was sponsored by Gallagher along with 17 other reputable businesses, each sponsoring various parts of the evening.
Fortec Distribution Network was founded in 1996 in Lutterworth and has since moved to its current purpose-built site in Watford Gap, Northampton. The network has helped to establish the pallet network model in the UK. It was acquired by Pall-Ex Group in 2020 and is now owned by its senior management team and shareholder members, uniting all aspects of the business in its mission to achieve excellence.
Guests were treated to performances from a variety of fantastic acts throughout the evening, including acrobats, stilt walkers, an opera singer and fire performers.
The awards were also introduced by a special celebrity host, Jason Manford, best known for his stand-up comedy and being the runner up in the celebrity show, The Masked Singer. He has also starred in a number of theatre shows and is due to play the part of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium.
LHT Logistics was presented with the coveted Member of the Year award, sponsored by The Algorithm People, which is voted for each year by the network members. LHT recently became part of Pall-Ex Group’s London Project, a strategically designed plan to improve delivery service levels across the capital in both the Fortec and Pall-Ex networks. The long-standing Fortec member has gained a well-deserved reputation in the industry for providing a first-class service in the North London area.
The New Member of the Year award, sponsored by The Barcode Warehouse, went to North West Logistics, while Gorton Brothers picked up the Business Development award, sponsored by Service Express.
The weekend also saw Regional Operational Excellence awards, sponsored by Tile Mountain, handed out at the Diamond Excellence Dinner the night before the main event. Only the network members who had achieved at least one Diamond Excellence certificate were invited to this exclusive event, to reward them for their contribution to helping the Group achieve service excellence.
Regional awards were presented to the top performing members within the network, who had continually exceeded and improved their performance over the previous 12 months. The award for the North was picked up by JD Commercials, F&G Transport claimed the award in the South East and Kartell UK took home the prize for the Central region.
Pall-Ex Group Star awards, sponsored by Allports Group, were handed out to staff members who were nominated by their colleagues and network members for their commitment to their role, going above and beyond to support others.
Brocklehurst Transport’s Dave Webster was chosen for the DMC Outstanding Contribution award in recognition of his long-standing dedication to the network, and Nick Vallance of Vallance Transport received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Kevin Buchanan, Group CEO at Pall-Ex Group, comments:
“It’s always fantastic to bring together what we consider to be the greatest team and the greatest network as we strive to achieve our principal objective of excellence, so what better way to celebrate this than by putting on the greatest show.
“2022 was another challenging period for the logistics industry, so I am proud to see how everyone has united to overcome the hurdles we have faced.
“Our network members, staff and international partners all deserve recognition for their commitment to Pall-Ex Group and the role they have played in its success and I look forward to the next 12 months of our journey to excellence.”
Find out more about becoming a Fortec member here.
