Tag: distribution centre|logistics|ports

PD Ports has granted a new long-term lease to Diffusion Alloys at Teesport Commerce Park, allowing for the construction of a new £1.5m coating facility and centre for excellence.

Diffusion Alloys, an established global leader in diffusion coatings for large components, has occupied its current site at Teesport Commerce Park for over 18 years and now, thanks to the new lease, is accelerating plans to build a new, 8,000 sq ft warehouse on site that will boost processing capability and create 20 new, sustainable jobs over the next two years.

This investment is the latest in a string of developments welcomed to Teesport Commerce Park following PD Ports’ success in securing two waste-to-energy plants to the Tees Valley in conjunction with Wentworth Clean Power, projects worth a cumulative £660m.

PD Ports Group Property Director, Michael McConnell, welcomed the further investment at Teesport Commerce Park: “PD Ports is delighted to have granted Diffusion Alloys a new long-term lease that will enable them to continue to grow their business and build a brand new production facility in line with growing demand.

“Projects such as Diffusion Alloys’ centre for excellence and the Wentworth Clean Power waste-to-energy plants really highlight the trust and confidence that large-scale business have in the Tees Valley thanks to our expertise, our strong-skills base and our unrivalled connections to global markets.

“We very much look forward to continuing to support Diffusion Alloys as they bring their new facility to fruition over the longer-term.”

Diffusion Alloys Managing Director, Lisa Randall, explained that an anticipated significant rise in demand for its specialist services over the next 10-20 years was the driving force behind the decision to expand the company’s Tees-based capabilities and headquarter its centre for excellence at Teesport Commerce Park.

“We are delighted to be not only extending our lease at Teesport Commerce Park, but also investing further to build a new facility on site,” said Randall. “The new factory and centre for excellence site will enable the company to support the build out of hydrogen generation technology from within the UK.

“The decision is testimony to our dedicated and hard-working staff in Teesside who have been instrumental in making this investment possible.”

PD Ports, owner and operator of Teesport, directly invested over £17m in infrastructure and developments across the Tees Valley during 2020, building on the £1bn of investment the port operator has attracted in the last decade.

 

DP World has signed an agreement with the leading road transport operator Swain Group for a 2.25-acre distribution facility at its London Gateway freight and logistics hub.

Under the three-year agreement, Swain Group will use the quayside site for the temporary storage of imported construction materials such as stone and ‘next-generation’ offsite manufacturing to construct buildings faster, safer and to a higher quality before their onward distribution to the end customer by lorry. The location, 200 yards from London Gateway’s berth 7, will deliver significant cost and time savings.

Along with the Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham plant, London Gateway will form Thames Freeport after being awarded freeport status by the Government earlier this year, further cementing its critical role in the UK’s international supply chain.

Ernst Schulze, Chief Executive of DP World in the UK, said: “I am delighted that Swain Group have chosen to strengthen further their longstanding relationship with London Gateway. At DP World we think ahead and create smarter trade solutions and this lease is an outstanding example of the benefits of port-centric logistics.

“We aim to be a partner in our customers’ business success, providing fast, reliable and flexible links to international supply chains and markets. London Gateway has almost 10 million square feet of land with planning consent at the port and adjacent logistics park and I would urge companies looking to expand to contact us to find out more about how they could benefit from being part of a freeport.”

Matthew Deer, Managing Director at Swain Group, said: “We handle over 100,000 tons of building materials a year on ships arriving at London Gateway and expect this figure to continue to grow as construction in London and the South East picks up following the pandemic.

“On arrival at the berth DP World will shunt inbound containers to our facility, where our team will unpack the stone product, temporarily store it where necessary, and then assemble outbound orders for transport via our own fleet to destinations across Britain such as garden centres and builders’ merchants. This integration of the supply chain will generate cost and time efficiencies both for us and our customers.”

Founded in 1918, Swain Group is a fifth-generation family-run business which has grown to become one of the largest family-owned road transport operators in Britain. It has played a key supporting role in the development of London Gateway, with its heavy haulage division delivering machinery for the building of the port 10 years ago.