The CBI East Midlands Council meeting was hosted today by Pall-Ex, the No.1 Pallet Network and a leading business in the Midlands.
Pall-Ex Managing Director Hilary Devey is a CBI Council member and made the opening address. Welcoming Sir Digby Jones, Director-General of the CBI, Hilary said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome the CBI and Sir Digby to our new conference facilities. Pall-Ex is keen to play its part in the economic growth of the East Midlands and to contribute to the aims of the East Midlands Regional Economic Strategy. Our transport and logistics services help connect companies based in the region both nationally and internationally.”
Sir Digby Jones, CBI Director-General, talked to members about some of the key issues facing business and the council considered a CBI paper on “The long-term impact of pensions on business.”
During the past year the CBI has reinforced its position as the leading voice speaking on behalf of all sizes of businesses across all sectors of the economy in the United Kingdom. Building on this position of strength, the CBI is now developing priorities for business that will become the focus of our lobbying activity with the new Government.
Economic prospects are generally good – the region has moved up to number 28 in prosperity ratings for European regions. This represents a significant move towards the realisation of emda’s ambition for the East Midlands to be a top 20 region in Europe by 2010.
Sir Digby Jones, Director-General of the CBI, said: “We are pleased to welcome Hilary on to the Council of the East Midlands Regional CBI and to be able to use these impressive premises for our meeting. It is encouraging to see a logistics company so obviously thriving in spite of the difficult economic climate for the transport industry, with the working time directive and fuel costs and the uneven playing field of European competition.”
Sir Digby highlighted the issue of transport infrastructure as an important area of concern for the Government and commented: “Here we are at Pall-Ex, one of the centres of the transport sector in the region - it depends on a road network that works.”
About Pall-Ex
Pall-Ex was established in 1996 by Hilary Devey to deliver small consignments of palletised freight cost-effectively throughout the UK. In nine years, the company has become the UK’s largest operator of a palletised “hub and spoke” freight network, with 97 depots throughout the UK and Europe and a purpose-built £12M hub in Leicestershire. Pall-Ex offers a comprehensive range of pallet storage and delivery solutions, with access to over 6,500 vehicles and over five million square feet of warehousing in the UK and Europe. It also supports the industry’s charity, Transaid, with its Penny-A-Pallet scheme.
About the CBI
The CBI's mission is to help create and sustain the conditions in which businesses in the United Kingdom can compete and prosper for the benefit of all. It is the premier lobbying organisation for UK business on national and international issues and works with the UK government, international legislators and policy-makers to help UK businesses compete effectively.