Dragon's Den investor Hilary Devey founded the logistics company Pall-Ex in 1996.
Pall-Ex was created as a palletised freight network. Its model connected independent transport companies so that pallet shipments could be consolidated, moved through a central network, and delivered efficiently across regions. This approach addressed the difficulty of transporting freight that was too large for parcel services but too small for a full truckload.
Devey had already worked in the transport and logistics sector before establishing Pall-Ex. The company became the central achievement associated with her business career and helped establish her reputation before she joined television as an investor.
The spelling is important: the company is styled Pall-Ex, with a hyphen. It is sometimes written informally as “Pallex,” but that is not the company’s standard name. Hilary Devey later appeared as a Dragon after other investors had already become associated with the programme.