A brilliant idea… in more ways than one

Frederick Miller seizes on Palletcap to reduce damage and discovers it’s also a great customer retention tool.

When transport, storage and distribution company Frederick Miller heard about Palletcap a year ago, it instantly agreed to become one of the first companies to use the FLTA award-winning invention – designed to reduce damage caused by top-stacking.

One year on and the company has not looked back, according to Sales and Operations Manager Derek Collings.  “We store and transport a lot of raw materials that go on to manufacturers in the food industry,” he explains.  “If that kind of product gets crushed it becomes totally useless.”  Which is precisely what was happening too much of the time when Frederick Miller relied on warning labels to protect fragile stock.

Since switching to Palletcap, the highly visible bright yellow cardboard cones “have reduced damage by as much as 80 percent”, says Mr Collings.  “They have made a vast difference to our operation,” he adds.  “We now get very little damage due to double stacking of pallets.”

What’s more, Palletcaps are exceptionally easy to store and use.  “That’s because they come flat-packed and are then readily assembled and attached to vulnerable pallets with tape,” says Mr Collings.

“As well as using the product in our own warehousing operation,” he explains, “we also provide Palletcap to our customers so that their goods can be protected from the word go.”  Frederick Miller now supplies at least 20 customers.  “They have responded very favourably,” he adds.  “They all recognise it’s a good idea – and that reflects well on us in turn.”

While Palletcap has been of huge benefit in cutting down on insurance claims and all the related paperwork, it is in the area of customer service that Mr Collings sees the most positive effects.  “Customer satisfaction has really increased,” he says.  “Palletcap has been instrumental in helping us to improve customer retention.”

“As all good businesses know,” comments Hayley Shirley, inventor of Palletcap and Managing Director of Staffordshire-based Palletcap Limited, “your existing customers are your most valuable customers.  We are very pleased that Frederick Miller is experiencing the value of our product as a customer retention tool.”