Brambles

Brambles is an Australian based 'Global provider of support services' according to their web site. Operating in over 45 countries over 6 continents they employ 12,000 people and were valued at $50 billion American dollars at the end of 2006. Brambles businesses are The Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool (CHEP) and Recall.

CHEP History

The Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool (CHEP) evolved from the Allied Materials Handling Standing Committee (AMHSC). This organisation was developed by the Australian government to manage defence supplies during The Second World War. The end of the war resulted in the removal of AMerican troops from military bases in the South Pacific, leaving behind materials-handling equipment. With this additional, sophisticated asset base and established infrastructure, the Commonwealth Government continued to endorse the organisation after the war to support the national economy. The Australian government privitised the industry in 1949, it was not until 1958 that the company was sold to Brambles.

CHEP Today

Today CHEP's business involves the distribution of goods and the pooling of resources in order to transport products and raw materials. They have move than 300,000 clients including Procter & Gamble, SYSCO, Carrefour, Kellogg's, Woolworths, Kraft, Nestle, Lion Nathan, The Home Depot, Tesco, Unilever, Hewlett Packard, Ford and GM.