Shirley receiving the FLTA award early this year.

Palletcap Ltd's freight-protecting invention has been short-listed in the storage and handling category of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (UK)'s awards for excellence 2005.

The bright yellow cone that warns forklift operators against stacking loads on top of fragile freight, avoiding the need to read labels, is the brainchild of Hayley Shirley, a former business development manager in overnight pallet distribution (Forkliftaction.com News #219).

Shirley developed the Palletcap when she noticed how much money and time were wasted when pallets were wrongly stacked on top of fragile items.

Just one year after Shirley formed Palletcap Ltd, the company beat Cat, Hyster and Jungheinrich to win the safety category in the Fork Lift Truck Association's 2005 awards for excellence.

"Things are moving so fast for us, it's hard to take it all in," Shirley said. "We've quickly established a loyal customer base in the UK, including manufacturers, like WD-40 Company, DDD Pharmaceuticals and Pritchitt Dairies, as well as UK hauliers and pallet networks, like Palletways, Pall-Ex, The Pallet Network and UK Pallets."