There's no doubt that some in the industry would argue that pre-pack administrations are a good thing. In fact I've had three operators argue over recent months that all they were trying to do is save jobs and keep their business running.
Sorry guys, but, like a soap-shy teenager, this doesn't wash.
All that pre-packs have created is a handy facility by which operators can ditch their debts and set up again as though nothing had happned. And while they may be preserving some jobs (often only in the short-term) what it means for creditors is usually painfully obvious - no prospect of ever getting the money they're owed.
OK, so there are an infinite number of shades of grey within this: can you realy compare the Bulmers saga with the antics of Tinnelly International and Tinnelly Transport? For all Bulmers multitudinous sins at least it had the good grace/sense to appear humble and was sufficiently law-abiding to have its paperwork in place beforehand. Tinnelly on the other hand seems to have taken the path of least resistance and carried on where the old company left off.
There are many reasons why a company can fail - poor management, wilful neglect, asset stripping and sheer bad luck - but for the most part these reasons don't merit a second chance. Sorry, but there it is - pre-packs have simply created a massive loophole in insolvency proceedures through which the least scrupulous operators drive an overloaded HGV.