A £6.3M warehouse, which forms part of a £10M investment programme, has officially opened at the Port of Tyne. At 18.6m high, the new facility provides substantial palletised warehousing for high value products.
Bringing the total warehousing capacity to 5.7 hectares within Tyne Dock, the latest building features 18 dock levellers and has been designed to accommodate a Very Narrow Aisle racking system, creating 5,000 large and 18,000 standard pallet locations.
Larger than two and a half football pitches, it incorporates 70km of cabling in the structure, 1,000 tonnes of steel, and 1,500-plus piles supporting the structure.
The investment has been due to the success of the port’s supply chain management initiative – Port of Tyne Logistics Services – which offers customers a bespoke package combining road, rail and sea transport with specialist warehousing. Since Port of Tyne Logistics Services was launched in 2000, the port has seen a 34% increase in container volumes and a 23% increase in general cargo as North-east companies take advantage of this regional gateway countering the increasing cost and congestion of both road and rail networks.
Three new units, featuring a flexible design to accommodate the differing commercial needs of their occupiers, are being developed speculatively in two phases over two years. Due for completion in 2005, phase one will create two units; one providing 1,860sq m of office/industrial space and the other, 2,418sq m. Phase two will see the third industrial unit constructed, providing 3,441sq m of space.
