James Jones & Sons Ltd has announced that pallet manufacturing will soon be a part of its Australian operations following the acquisition of Rodpak Pty Ltd by its Australian subsidiary, Hyne Timber Pty Ltd.
Rodpak is a Melbourne based pallet and packaging manufacturer that, like the rest of the James Jones & Sons Group, prides itself on strong sustainability credentials and a commitment to producing premium quality products.
This announcement comes two years after James Jones & Sons Ltd acquired a controlling stake in Mayflower Enterprises Pty Ltd in Australia, the holding company of Hyne Timber and XLam. Last year the Group acquired a majority stake in Rocky Point Pty Ltd, Australia’s leading manufacturer and supplier of premium quality products to the nursery, agriculture, home gardeners and erosion management industries.
“We are delighted to welcome Rodpak Pty Ltd to the Group,” commented Tom Bruce-Jones, Chairman of James Jones & Sons Ltd. “The acquisition forms part of Hyne Timber’s diversification and growth strategy and represents our first entry in to the pallet sector in Australia.”
Hyne Group CEO, Jim Bindon, added that the acquisition is an exciting addition for the company. “Rodpak is a highly regarded business with a long history in the manufacture of softwood timber pallets, with quality equipment and technology, and great customer relationships,” he stated.
Business as normal for Rodpak, but with international strength of James Jones & Sons
“While it will be business as usual for Rodpak’s staff, suppliers and customers, being a part of the Group brings the strengths of the international connections with James Jones and Sons Ltd, who are a leading pallet manufacturer in Europe, with fourteen manufacturing sites throughout the United Kingdom.
“I am very pleased the current owner, Dean Roderick, will be staying on within the business, as he is well respected in the market and indeed internationally within the pallet sector. Dean has been known to the James Jones & Sons Pallets & Packaging Division for some years, and he is most highly regarded by them also,” Bindon mentioned.
Dean Roderick said the new ownership model was a welcome move to take the company forward. “Becoming part of a national and global ownership model is a significant milestone for us as a business, for our team members, customers and suppliers and we have been pleased with the process to get to this point,” he said.
“Rodpak is a great business with strong partnerships, built over many years. With the local strength and global reach of the wider Group, I am very confident the company is moving in a great direction, and I personally look forward to working with the broader Hyne Group team,” Roderick concluded.
James Jones & Sons receives Carbon Reduction Award
In other news, James Jones & Sons is delighted to have won the Carbon Reduction Award at the STTA awards dinner recently in recognition of its trial of an electric timber truck.
James Jones & Sons is partnering with Volvo Group and Cleaner EV in a three year trial of electric timber trucks, which is being funded by Scottish Forestry. The trial started in June 2023. A key element of the three year trial is that all partners involved are committed to sharing their experiences of running electric lorries with others in the timber and rural haulage sectors. Creel Maritime consultants will monitor the use of the lorries and arrange knowledge exchange opportunities over the course of the following three years.
James Jones & Sons has a target to reduce CO2 emissions from company vehicles on a progressive basis in line with Scottish Net Zero targets by 2045. This vehicle is one of the first ultra low emission HGVs (heavy goods vehicles) to be operated in the UK in the timber sector. Given the scale of emissions from HGV vehicles in general, the potential reductions through such innovations are huge and the trial will be very beneficial in progressing the search in this technology for the future.
“Enhancing our environmental impact has always been a fundamental part of our Group ethos and strategy,” said David Leslie, Joint Managing Director. “We have been at the forefront of innovation with regards to all environmental matters for a number of years and have pioneered a number of innovative processes and systems to enhance our carbon negative credentials. We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of our efforts.”
The award was sponsored by Timber Development UK (TDUK). TDUK, in collaboration with other key UK timber trade associations and other like-minded organisations, has launched the Timber Industry Net Zero Roadmap. This sets out the causes of emissions within the supply chain and proposes steps the industry could take to reduce these and what the journey to Net Zero could look like.
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