Frans Maas, has announced plans to dramatically improve and expand facilities at its Manchester site.
The current site occupies around 14,393 sq ft but fuelled by a £4m investment, will more than double to around 32,808 sq ft. Work is scheduled to commence towards the end of January and continue throughout 2006. Gary Cooper, general manager at Frans Maas Manchester, feels the investment will play a crucial role in further developing the site’s status as a flagship base within the UK. He says: “The expansion will enhance what has already proved a successful site for Frans Maas. Our facilities here are fully bonded, we have the latest RFID technology in place and we have easy access to road, rail, air and sea connections, all of that means we can truly provide a one-stop-shop service when it comes to supply chain solutions, a service which few of our competitors can rival.”
Cooper said that he feels that the new investment will enable the company to enhance the offer even more by allowing it to significantly increase its logistics warehouse facilities. He said: “The build plans will also give us greater flexibility in what and how we store items for our clients, and could create up to around fifty new jobs.”
Neil Fountain, CEO at Manchester’s Investment & Development Agency (MIDAS), comments: “Nationally, the logistics industry is undergoing a period of significant change. Where once it was common for companies to have one major logistics base within the UK, the trend is increasingly for such firms to regionalise their distribution bases with an increasing number opening up in Greater Manchester to take advantage of lower business costs. He also goes on to say: “The success that Frans Maas Manchester has enjoyed is an ideal example of this trend in practice.”
As well as the immediate benefits of increased space, Cooper also felt that the investment will help to develop the site’s potential in other ways. He comments “Frans Maas Manchester has an impressive reputation in terms of European road haulage but investment in the site will help us continue to expand into other key areas for the company including air-freight, deep sea and of course logistics. I have no doubt that the Manchester site will continue to be a hugely important base for Frans Maas UK.”
