In the spotlight with Giovanni Pallastrelli

Pall-Ex Group first broke into the international logistics market in 2009 with the launch of its first master licensee network Pall-Ex Italia. Since then, Pall-Ex’s global presence has grown exponentially, expanding the network to cover five master licensee territories and over 30 countries.

Pall-Ex’s Pan-European network distributes thousands of pallets across the continent every day, with our international teams working collaboratively to expand the Pall-Ex network and provide leading palletised freight distribution solutions. Leading the charge of Pall-Ex Group’s cross-border growth is Giovanni Pallastrelli, Managing Director of Pall-Ex Europe.

We sat down with Giovanni to find out more about his day-to-day life and what his role entails.

(Pall-Ex Europe Managing Director Giovanni Pallastrelli pictured speaking at the Pall-Ex UK National Conference)

What does your role at Pall-Ex entail?

One of the most important parts of my role is undoubtedly working to expand our winning model across Europe. It is a privilege to work on these important projects, which aim to replicate the success already achieved by our existing networks in the UK, Italia, France, Romania and Iberia.

Travelling Europe and meeting the ambitious, passionate and visionary entrepreneurs who are interested in investing in our brand to establish a domestic network within their territory is an exciting challenge for me.

How did you begin your career in logistics?

I began my career in 1983 at a medium-sized transport company in Italy. We focused on road transport and intermodal groupage to and from the United Kingdom. I learnt a lot about the foundations of logistics during my time there. The experience has aided me throughout my career, including my work developing cross-border services for Pall-Ex Europe.

How did your journey with Pall-Ex begin?

My journey with Pall-Ex began in 2008 with Pall-Ex Italia. I had many wonderful experiences during my 14 years there and had the opportunity to grow professionally. I started my career as an Area Manager and then progressed to join the Network team as a Network Manager before overseeing Pall-Ex Italia’s international operations as International Director.

In 2023, I was invited to join the Pall-Ex Europe team as Managing Director, an opportunity which I was keen to take to aid in the continued development of the pan-European Network.

As a Managing Director, what does a typical day look like for you?

My day-to-day work includes a lot of travelling and meeting with potential prospective partners across Europe. I also regularly communicate with our existing partners to strengthen relationships and further develop our cross-border services.

When looking at my work, I find inspiration in our company motto: every day, it is important to improve ourselves, incessantly seeking excellence in every little thing we do. By focusing on the objectives and knowing what goal we want to achieve, it is possible to implement a set of small actions that will allow us to obtain the desired result.

Your work takes you to many different countries across Europe, is there a specific country that Pall-Ex delivers to that has been your favourite?

My favourite country is Germany, particularly Munich and Frankfurt. My first visit was several years ago for a trade show, and since then, I have found myself returning time and again. It is a beautiful country, with a rich culture, and welcoming people.

Working with international clients comes with its own set of challenges. What skills do you think are most important to handling global relationships and cross-border volume?

I think anyone can take for granted having a cutting-edge IT system or excellent service performance, what makes the difference, in my opinion, is being able to create a relationship of trust and mutual esteem with any customer. One of Pall-Ex’s core values is creating lasting mutually beneficial relationships, which I believe we do better than any other international operator. We work collaboratively with our partners and customers to tailor our solutions to meet their business needs.

Pall-Ex’s European service offers clients and members many benefits, what do you think is the most unique?

The excellent quality of service offered by our widespread network is something which I think is often unheard of. A single pallet, with all its information in real-time, travels seamlessly through the Pall-Ex network, which is made up of over 650 individual members.

Our IT platform Nexus, also offers our customers unique benefits with the ability to track their freight through its journey, from the palm of their hands and AI optimisation, enabling additional features such as timed ETA’s and route optimisation.

What are the biggest benefits of becoming a master licensee with Pall-Ex?

There are many benefits to joining Pall-Ex as a master licensee, but I think the main ones are being able to develop a domestic network using a well-known, respected brand that is focused on quality.

Becoming an integral part of a much larger consolidated European network that offers a return on investment in a short time, being considered a one-stop shop provider for regional, national and international freight distribution.

---

To find out more about Pall-Ex Europe’s full range of service offerings and our master licensee opportunities, please visit: https://www.pallex.com/