Palamatic managing director, Melanie Archbould
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Being Chesterfield-based, Palamatic is ideally located for distribution of its lifting and handling product to all parts of the UK and overseas. The company employs over 50 local people in a wide range of roles covering sales and marketing, design and project engineering, production and aftersales services.
With 35 years’ experience, Palamatic is an expert in all areas of lifting and handling solutions including vacuum tube lifting systems, support gantries, automatic sack-opening machinery and bespoke handling solutions for all manufacturing industries. The company also keeps a stock of spare parts for standard systems.
Palamatic’s experienced staff are there to help at all stages, providing an end-to-end service, from sales enquiry through to aftersales services. The company also has an office and warehouse in North Carolina to help with enquiries and distribute lifters, parts and systems to its customers in the US.
Over the years, Palamatic has built up strong relationships with a team of distributors all over the world, which represent the extensive range of products to their own customers.
What makes your business stand out?
“We bring the best we have to the table, inviting our experienced global partners to input into design,” explains Palamatic MD, Melanie Archbould. “We take advice and guidance from our fantastic supply chain team, and most importantly we always involve the customer and their operators along the way – both at their site and at our test plan facility.
“Palamatic has been built on strong family foundations – led by the founders’ daughter who upholds these principles – whilst operating in a 21st century style. People are at the heart of everything Palamatic do – employees and their families, suppliers, and customers.
“Palamatic is not one of the ‘big’ material handling equipment suppliers, but this is used to our advantage consistently. It means that we can remain focused on developing new, unique and much-needed product solutions every year.”
What has 2020 been like for Palamatic?
Mirroring companies in all sectors, 2020 has been a year of challenges, beginning with the uncertainty of Brexit, and then the huge impact of Covid-19 on business and employees.
“During this time, we have constantly reviewed and refreshed our working procedures to meet regulations,” says Melanie. “We are very proud of our fantastic team, who have kept employees and visitors safe whilst continuing to produce and service and keep customer equipment running throughout such a demanding time.
“As a global supplier with a US office and distributors in all continents, we have constant contact with our customers in the UK and around the world. Over the Covid period, we have had daily communication where we have been able to check how people are managing – both from a business perspective and personally.
“The period has introduced a new version of working which we have embraced, and will continue to use going forward in many areas. Teams meetings have taken over from face-to-face, and where site sales visits haven’t been possible, we have worked with customers using a phone or other device that could show their working areas in order to provide quotations. In many ways, it has bought everyone closer together.
“Our business supplying the woodworking industry has continued to be very busy. Many customers have had to increase their production to meet new demands, and have required lifting systems to make this possible. Upturns in applications have been for customers supplying to hospitals, schools, universities, helping businesses create new office layouts, and the increase in demand for house renovations.
What is Palamatic’s outlook for 2021?
“During 2020, we have worked hard on a new website – available online now – and we are also implementing a new customer service system, which will be available soon, giving our customers access to service, spare parts and manuals, and ongoing recruitment, and partnerships,” explains Melanie.
“We are strong believers in the apprenticeship scheme, with two having started in September and training at the AMRC centre in Rotherham. We also have a hefty recruitment drive to grow our team of engineers, fabrication and assembly fitters, which will help us grow the company and continue to offer our customers the personal service we pride ourselves on delivering.
“In terms of products, we never stop developing new product, so, looking forward to 2021, we already have plans for our mobile range of lifting systems, cleanroom and also ATEX designs to suit dusty environments, and we are expanding production of our Uni-LITE range of systems for end-of-line, pick-and-place applications.”
Concluding, Melanie says: “Overall, we are very optimistic about the future of the company going into the new year.”
