Magnus Group has won the regional prize for the South East of England at this year’s Pall-Ex awards. Find out how the team pulls off their award-winning service in even challenging, rural locations.
Magnus Group’s managing director, Olly Magnus, shares his experience and notes what made this member stand out and win this year’s regional award for the South East.
How did it feel to win the award?
“Winning an award that is voted for by the Pall-Ex team was a great achievement and very humbling – it was a great start to a new era here at Magnus Group.”
About Magnus Group
Magnus Group has been on a journey over the past 12 months. Following the loss of Paul Magnus, founder of Magnus Group, Olly Magnus (Paul’s son) bought out one of the other partners and shareholders, Mike Pattinson.
Since Olly’s arrival, Magnus Group has changed many things. As Olly notes, “Warehousing has doubled in size to 230,000 square feet, our forwarding department has doubled in size, and we have re-branded with a new livery and a fresh website. We also strengthened our management team.
“By doubling the warehouse size, we fully anticipate increased outbound volume into the Pall-Ex network. We are also able to fully focus on customer service throughout the business, both of which will enable us to develop further as a company in 2020.”
How long have you been a member of Pall-Ex?
“Joining in 2015, we are just starting our 5th year with Pall-Ex. We have been part of the journey of change and fully support the vision of excellence that the Pall-Ex board strive for.”
Why did you initially choose to join Pall-Ex?
Olly explains, “As former members of UK Pallets, when they ceased trading, we looked at many of the networks.
“Meeting with Kevin and Sue Buchanan, who shared our vision of customer satisfaction, as well as the sustainable growth that Pall-Ex was taking at the time, made it an easy decision.
“We knew we wanted to be part of the future in such an exciting and professional network.”
What made you decide to become a shareholder member?
Olly notes that becoming a shareholder was an easy decision to make.
Being part of a network owned by the UK membership and it’s senior management team shows that everyone is committed to each other, we have one common goal, to ensure service excellence.”
Has the technology provided by Pall-Ex improved operations?
“The development of MyNexus has seen a slicker operation for everyone involved, and much more visibility for customers.
“The customer is able to use MyNexus themselves to track pallets, print off POD’s etc, which has reduced phone calls and increased customer satisfaction.
“Our staff have more time to focus on providing in-depth customer service and dedicating their time to boosting customer relationships.
“We look forward to further embracing the new system and any future improvements, plus it is a brilliant selling factor to potential customers.”
Has collaboration with other members and international networks improved your operations?
“The international network certainly gives benefits throughout the membership. It enables all members to further develop their own businesses and offer a new service to their existing customers. It’s also a great product from a selling point to bring in new customers.
“Relationships with other depots have also been important. When you need another member to go the extra mile or do something out of the ordinary, those relationships ensure it gets done.”
What are the main advantages and disadvantages of your location for freight distribution?
“We are challenged daily on the road network throughout East Anglia. Although the main arterial roads are great, the rural roads throughout the towns and villages bring their own challenges for our drivers.
“We try to position the more experienced drivers and correct equipment in the areas where required, but of course this isn’t always possible! As such, we rely on a collaborative attitude with teamwork at the heart of what we do.”
“Plus, outgoing freight is mainly generated from the External Temporary Storage Facility (ETSF) warehouses in the area. This brings its own challenges, as much of it is ‘ugly’ freight.
“’Ugly’ freight is basically all shapes and sizes of goods, which can have a multitude of differing delivery requirements and storage needs.
“It is often not uniform in size, so not ideal for a standard pallet network. Luckily, Pall-Ex is used to going the extra mile, so we rarely have problems!”
Do you have plans to grow in the future?
“Definitely! We are currently growing and have done extensively in the past 12 months. Our vision is to continue growing in a controlled manner without sacrificing service or excellence.”
Is there anything else you'd like to add about Magnus Group?
“We see ourselves on a similar journey to Pall-Ex, with continued development, controlled growth and striving to be the best at what we do, offering a service and excellence which is second to none.
“Our structure changes, starting from a new CEO and the recruitment of key management personnel, have been imperative to make this happen.
Coupled with the continued support of some long-serving members of staff, and our access to a whole network of members through Pall-Ex, we believe we are on the right track for the future.”
If you’d like some more information about becoming a shareholder member of Pall-Ex, download our member info booklet, or fill in our contact form, and our Network Development team will be in touch.