MORE than 60 jobs have been saved after Europe’s largest pallet freight firm purchased a Colchester business and turned it into its new regional depot.

Palletways UK completed a takeover of Colchester firm Systematic Logistics International Palletways UK after purchasing the business from administrators in a move which saved 64 jobs.

The firm has now announced it will use the firm’s base in the town, in Old Ipswich Road, as its new dedicated East Anglian depot, under the name Palletways Colchester.

Rob Gittins, managing director of Palletways UK, said: “East Anglia is an integral part of the Palletways network.

“By securing this site we can continue to offer our customers unrivalled service, customer-care and coverage for collections and deliveries nationwide. Palletways Colchester plays a key role in the network and provides first-class express distribution services across Europe.

“The acquisition safeguarded jobs and made sure the company can carry on serving customers, across the east of England, reliably.

“We’ve worked closely with staff through this period of major change to support the business. It’s now on solid foundations and we hope it’ll go from strength to strength.”

Palletways Colchester handles pallet shipments to addresses across the Colchester borough and also in the Ipswich and Chelmsford areas.

The new depot is one of more than 115 hubs across the Palletways UK network.

Systematic Logistics International Palletways UK was part of the Palletways network fore more than two decades before the business went into administration and staff are understood to have continued in their previous roles.