2006-08-24 Brambles says to launch CHEP unit in China

Brambles Industries Ltd., the world's top pallet supplier, said it plans to launch its CHEP pallet-leasing unit in China.

"The Chinese opportunity is really early. We are putting a management team on the ground, we've got the top four or five people in place and we are talking to customers," Brambles Chief Executive David Turner told a media briefing.

The Anglo-Australian group, which leases 200 million pallets for shifting goods around the globe, earlier reported a 29 percent rise in annual net profit before one-off items to US$771.3 million