Ballymena logistics firm TST has announced plans to expand its workforce following a deal to take on one of the UK’s biggest pallet networks.
The family-run transport firm said it is creating 15 new jobs after taking on the Northern Irish operation for Pallet-Track.
TST has been a shareholder member of Pallet-Track since 2017 via its Birmingham operation and is a specialist in the distribution and storage of food and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products, with a particular focus on the beverage sector.
The company said the addition of Northern Ireland postcodes to its portfolio is expected to increase its pallet handling from 500 to 800 per day.
TST Group said its growth strategy includes a commitment to add 40 new trailers and 20 new trucks to its fleet per year.
It operation currently included a workforce of 400, 200 lorries and responsibility for managing 500 trailers and 1.5 million sq ft of warehousing.
TST Group chief executive Liam Reid said the company has already invested more than £5.5 million in new trucks and trailers in 2024.
“Our pallet distribution service is experiencing significant growth as we are now seeing customers moving single pallets from Northern Ireland to the UK nightly rather than waiting to collate full loads, so on the back of this it is expanding our Pallet-Track membership and we are recruiting across various areas of the business to support this growth.
“While our fleet is extensive and equipped with the latest technology and innovations, we continue to expand the range of vehicles we operate in both Ballymena and Birmingham,” said Mr Reid.
“This modernisation ensures that we can handle a wide range of logistics challenges efficiently and reliably for our growing client base.”
Stuart Godman, CEO at Pallet-Track, added: “TST Group is an excellent partner to continue to drive Pallet-Track’s service forward in Northern Ireland and we are incredibly pleased to be working together even closer.
“The company’s impressive track record, and its commitment to service excellence, underpins the Pallet-Track way which will continue to support both our ongoing growth, and success, in Northern Ireland.”
