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Amazon’s New £500m Leeds Hub to Create 2,000+ Jobs

Posted on by David Priestman

Amazon has announced the opening of a major new fulfillment center hub in Leeds, which is set to create over 2000 jobs and strengthen the company’s logistics network across the UK.

Investment and Economic Impact

The new fulfillment center at Gateway45 represents a significant £500 million investment. This expansion is expected to provide a substantial boost to the local economy by creating job opportunities across various roles, including engineering, HR, and warehouse operations.

Advanced Robotics and Technology Integration

Spanning three floors, the Leeds facility will incorporate Amazon’s latest robotics technology. These systems are designed to streamline operations, improve processing efficiency, and enhance the speed of customer order fulfillment. This focus on automation and technological innovation is a key part of Amazon’s logistics strategy. Similar technologies are already in use at other Amazon centers, like in Tilbury, where robots help move shelves directly to workers, reducing time and effort.

Sustainability and Regional Investment Strategy

The fulfillment center is equipped with energy-efficient features and solar power provisions, reflecting Amazon’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint while maintaining operational efficiency. This development forms part of Amazon’s regional investment strategy, which has exceeded £1.5 billion since 2010. Other UK facilities, such as the Dunfermline center, have also implemented similar sustainability measures. By investing in facilities like the one in Leeds, Amazon continues to expand its footprint in the UK while contributing to local economies and enhancing its supply chain capabilities.

Looking Ahead

As Amazon gears up for the facility’s full operational launch in late 2024, the company’s focus remains on creating opportunities, driving innovation, and supporting sustainable development within the logistics sector. The Leeds fulfillment center is poised to become a central hub in Amazon’s UK network, supporting both local communities and the company’s broader global operations.

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Warehouse Storage Space in West Midlands

UK/Ireland Warehousing Capabilities Enhanced

Posted on by David Priestman

cargo-partner offers a variety of comprehensive logistics service packages to support customers with warehousing, transport and distribution, and is pleased to have enhanced these capabilities across the UK and Ireland.

With expertise in logistics and worldwide transport, cargo-partner already operates a dense network of warehouses throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Australia and the USA. In addition to this, the company has now enhanced its facilities throughout the UK and Ireland.

Working alongside key logistics partners, cargo-partner can now offer vast warehouse space in Dundalk, Co. Louth and Ashbourne, Co. Meath in Ireland, and further warehousing space in Lichfield and Doncaster in England. These four new warehouse solutions are positioned in and close by to key transport hubs, with strategic connections to airports, ports, rail and road networks.

cargo-partner’s Managing Director for Ireland, Fergal Keenan, said: “We continue to expand cargo-partner’s capabilities, profile and facilities across Western Europe and this includes working with partners and suppliers to invest in more warehousing solutions across the UK and Ireland. Today, the ideal warehouse is more than a space to store and ship goods – it performs additional functions that provide added value for our customers and accelerates the supply chain. This includes sorting, quality control and evaluation of goods, according to the different markets and customer needs. Thanks to our strategic warehouse partners, we’re pleased to offer these enhanced warehousing solutions to our customers in the UK and Ireland and to the wider market, supporting both local and international businesses with all transport and storage needs.”

Each facility provides dedicated areas for pallet racking, general order picking/packing and short- to long-term storage. Furthermore, in combination with cargo-partner’s extensive worldwide network and air, sea and road services, the logistics provider can offer customers a fully integrated solution.

• The Dundalk warehouse facilities are across three units, offering racked pallet positions, a dedicated pick and pack area and Haz storage/delivery, monitored by CCTV.
• The Ashbourne facility (expected for operation in July 2023) offers brand new storage space and 13 HGV docking bays in a secure compound monitored by CCTV.
• The Lichfield warehouse facility offers racked and bulk storage, container handling and freight consolidation. The site is monitored by CCTV and manned by a security team.
• The Doncaster warehouse hub enables bulk and racked storage in a prime location within a 15-minute radius of five major motorway networks and in close vicinity to the IPORT rail terminal. The site is manned 24 hours and monitored by CCTV.

AD Ports’ Uzbekistan Logistics JV

Posted on by David Priestman

AD Ports Group, a leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, and SEG ENERA Group, one of the largest multisectoral holding companies in Uzbekistan, today announced the formation of a new joint venture, ADL-Ulanish, that will provide end-to-end global logistics services across the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Through the new joint venture enterprise, AD Ports Group will bring its cutting-edge expertise in global supply chain logistics and advanced technology to the new company with the goal of addressing some of the logistics challenges faced by enterprises in Uzbekistan, which is a double-landlocked nation, surrounded by five additional landlocked nations. SEG ENERA Group will, in turn, contribute its regional expertise, best practices, and industrial assets, including warehousing capacity, alongside rail and trucking fleets. Through the joint venture, the two entities will serve not only SEG ENERA’s business needs, but also those of other clients within the nation’s market representing a spectrum of industry sectors including, industrial project logistics, oil & gas, e-commerce, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

ADL-Ulanish will offer a variety of advanced services, including: freight forwarding – air and land logistics; warehousing and storage; customs clearance services; and, the development of inland container depots and dry ports. In addition, the company will provide a range of digital solutions to boost service integration and efficiency, as well as bring expertise in food security and supply chains to support the creation of a food hub in Uzbekistan. Strategically located at the cross-roads between the Asian and European markets, Uzbekistan and the broader Central Asian region, is a vital global land logistics hub, whose regional GDP according to the World Bank is forecasted to grow from 3.9% in 2023 to 4.3% in 2024.

Farook Al Zeer, Chairman, Logistics Cluster, AD Ports Group, said: “The launch of ADL-Ulanish provides us with a platform to extend our extensive portfolio of logistics services and expertise to the key market of Uzbekistan, which is located within a region that is primed for future growth. There is significant demand for freight forwarding and warehousing services in Uzbekistan, which has seen major economic expansion in the recent years, driven by important reforms and modernisation efforts. By leveraging our global expertise, we are positioned to make a transformational impact across key industries, facilitated by advanced digital services and supported by a world-class team.”

Timofey Smirnov, Chief Executive Officer, SEG ENERA Group said: “We are proud to enter this important partnership with AD Ports Group, whose logistics capabilities and expertise have served a number of strategic industry sectors in the MENA region, and which thanks to its recent growth, is now reaching out to support partners in nations around the world. Uzbekistan is a major producer of key exports, including oil, natural gas, gold, copper, cotton, food and other strategic commodities and products needed by the global economy. Further development of our logistics sector will create an exciting range of economic opportunities to support our nation’s growing role as a hub for trade between East Asia and Europe.”

In June 2022, the UAE and Uzbekistan signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support cooperation in 27 sectors, involving initiatives in government modernisation to benefit from the UAE’s experience and promote the relations between the two nations.

Established in 2006, AD Ports Group serves as one of the world’s premier facilitators of logistics, industry, and trade, as well as a bridge linking Abu Dhabi to the world. Listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX: ADPORTS), AD Ports Group’s vertically integrated business approach has proven instrumental in driving the emirate’s economic development over the past decade. Operating several clusters covering Ports, Economic Cities & Free Zones, Maritime, Logistics, and Digital, AD Ports Group’s portfolio comprises 10 ports and terminals, and more than 550 square kilometres of economic zones under KEZAD Group, the largest integrated trade, logistics, and industrial business grouping in the Middle East.

Gothenburg Named Top Swedish Logistics Location

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The Gothenburg region tops the list when leading Swedish industry magazine Intelligent Logistik annually ranks Sweden’s best logistics locations. As Sweden’s largest cargo hub, the Port of Gothenburg plays a decisive role in the award according to the jury, who state that the port’s infrastructure, investment program and growing cargo volumes form a good basis for future growth in the region.

“It is an honourable award that we place great value on, and it is of course nice to be recognized together with the region’s other actors in the field of logistics. Together, we create conditions for a strong freight hub that strengthens Swedish competitiveness and is the guarantor of Swedish industry’s access to the world,” says Jacob Minnhagen, senior business developer at the Gothenburg Port Authority.

The Port of Gothenburg handles 53% of Sweden’s total container freight and volume growth is stable with nine straight quarters of increased container throughput. The container terminal operated by APM Terminals is particularly highlighted in the justification, as well as the growing freight train traffic where the port reached an all-time high in 2022.

Good establishment opportunities

Access to logistics areas is crucial for the functionality of a logistics region, and hence an important assessment criterion in the designation of Sweden’s best logistics location. The growth in logistics space has been exceptionally large in recent years, notes the magazine, and in the past year additional new land for logistics establishments has been added – both in areas close to the port, as well as locations just outside Gothenburg, like Landvetter and Borås.

“In the port, for example, we are developing the Halvorsäng Logistics Park together with Castellum just ten minutes from the quayside, it will be an important addition to port-side logistics. Then the growth of logistics areas is also good further out in the region, which is very important. Overall, the future looks bright for the Gothenburg region and there are good opportunities to establish yourself here as a logistics operator in the long term as well,” says Jacob Minnhagen.

The high-profile list of the best logistics locations in Sweden has been published since 2001. The ranking is founded on access to a logistics base, flows and geography, infrastructure, land access, know-how and skills, and the collaborative climate throughout the region. The Helsingborg Region and Jönköping Region were ranked second and third.

Excerpt from the citation:
“The Gothenburg region has long been Sweden’s logistics capital with an excellent distribution location with access to the Nordics’ largest container port, which stood strong even through the pandemic; with stable container volumes and greatly increased train freight volumes. Upcoming multibillion-crown investments in the port with a fairway deepening also provide good conditions for future growth. Gothenburg has historically had exceptional growth for logistics, a development which, however, slowed somewhat in 2022 when only approx. 70,000 square meters were added in the region. In the past year, however, new land for logistics establishments has been added both around Landvetter and at Hisingen.”

Antwerp port expansion for reefer shipper

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Seafrigo’s recently-launched joint venture with Antwerp Cold Stores, combined with its new LCL (Less-than-Container) reefer service between the Belgian city and New York in the USA, is proving so popular with customers that the logistics provider is now looking to further expand its operations and capacity in the port.

Antwerp is set to play an important role in the further development of the Seafrigo Group, which is headquartered at Le Havre in France. Demand in the USA for high quality Belgian products such as chocolate and biscuits has surged over the last 12 months and in order to support the further development of the trade lane the Seafrigo Group is now looking at taking on an additional warehouse in the Port of Antwerp with at least 25,000 pallet positions for temperature-controlled cargo.

As a result of the joint venture, which became effective in April this year, Seafrigo and Antwerp Cold Stores are already the leading player in Belgium for temperature-controlled perishable goods handling and storage. An expansion of the port facility will further enhance their combined market position.

Says Seafrigo Belgium’ Managing Director, Ben Van Wolput (pictured): “Food logistics really does require specialist knowledge and capabilities. Combine that with our commitment to the highest possible service standards and we believe it makes our service offerings really stand out. The US market for luxury Belgian foods is immense and relies on a global player such as Seafrigo with in-house expertise on both sides of the Atlantic to deliver the goods in perfect condition. These specialist products demand the expertise that our highly trained teams can deliver end-to-end and we are hugely optimistic about the ongoing demand for this service between Antwerp and New York”.

Seafrigo’s temperature-controlled warehouse at Port Elizabeth, New Jersey is the ideal entry point to the USA for the LCL service from Antwerp as, within its own hub, the company can handle deconsolidation and Customs formalities, and then deliver on its own dedicated refrigerated trucks, so maintaining the integrity of the cold chain right through to ultimate destination. “Seafrigo USA is proud to offer tailored services based on a large, scalable multi-temp warehouse network,” adds Van Wolput.

The addition of its own temperature-controlled handling capabilities at Antwerp has created a European hub within the Seafrigo network with a focus on growing Europe-US services. It can also now offer customers a growing number of new route options and destinations for their perishable exports, based on the port’s extensive worldwide sailings. Antwerp’s accessibility by road and rail to all the important industrial areas of Europe means Seafrigo customers located over a wide radius from the port can use it as a hub for their international traffic.

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