Allen Logistics celebrates 60 years of growth and innovation

Over the past 60 years, family-owned Allen Logistics has grown from a working farm in rural Moira into one of Northern Ireland’s most successful logistics businesses.

Award wins, a diverse range of services and embracing every opportunity has shaped the last 60 years for Allen Logistics, and now they look ahead to an exciting future continuing the family legacy that began six decades ago. 

The history of Allen Logistics

Back in 1966, William Allen was one of Northern Ireland’s largest sheep dealers. Transport initially served a practical purpose for the family’s farming business, simply collecting sheep and bringing them back to the farm every week.

But William’s son, Linden, decided that rather than leaving the family lorry unused between weekly runs, he could fill the down time with additional transport work to further support the family farm.  A machinery manufacturer at a quarry across the road became one of his first customers, with more soon following, marking the beginning of William Allen & Sons.

The transport business continued to grow steadily through the late 1960s and early 1970s. With a growing fleet of vehicles, Linden began transporting machinery, agricultural goods and livestock throughout Ireland, building a strong foundation for years to come.

Expansion and growth

By the mid-1970s, the business was expanding its reach across the Irish Sea and began to develop relationships with businesses in England, offering distribution in the form of multiple smaller consignments, rather than traditional full loads.

Current Managing Director, James Allen, joined the business in 1998, beginning in the warehouse, before moving to driving and later progressing into the office, gaining first-hand experience of the operation at every stage.

A new era for Allen Logistics

In 2001, the company rebranded as Allen Logistics, and around the same time, began strengthening its UK presence to increase freight volumes bound for Northern Ireland and help ensure trailers returned full, rather than empty.

Another major milestone came in 2004, when Allen Logistics joined its first pallet network and began serving the BT postcode area in Northern Ireland. Being part of a pallet network enabled the team to provide faster, more dependable distribution to businesses across the country.

Previously, deliveries across Ireland could take several days, with drivers travelling far and wide carrying a variety of freight on board. James recognised that customer expectations were changing, with demand for next-day services growing rapidly.

Today, the business operates across multiple pallet networks, including Pall-Ex, where Allen Logistics is a shareholder member, and the specialist hazardous goods network, Hazchem.

Alongside pallet distribution, Allen Logistics has continued to broaden its expertise with the addition of warehousing, freight forwarding, hazardous distribution and European services. The ability to adapt and remain flexible has remained central to the success of the business since the very beginning back in 1966.

Looking to the future

Today, Allen Logistics operates from its headquarters in Moira, with 60,000 sq ft. of warehousing space, a fleet of 36 vehicles and a team of around 70, supported by a 20,000 sq ft. depot in Lichfield to cover the company’s UK operations.

Over the past six decades, the logistics industry has changed beyond recognition and Allen Logistics has continued to forge ahead. Through every challenge and opportunity, the business has adapted its services, invested in its people and remained focused on the family values set out by William and Linden Allen back in 1966.

Discussing how the business has maintained its success over the last six decades, James explains: “Our success has been driven by a committed team, loyal customers, continued investment into our fleet, warehousing and technology and the strong values instilled since the company began.

“Joining the Pall-Ex network, expanding into Great Britain, adding Hazchem services, and providing a full 3PL offering have been key to building long-term success at Allen Logistics.”