PORT OF SUNDERLAND FEATURE
“Port of Sunderland is making a name for itself in every division. And we’re committed to making sure that customers who choose us benefit from a fantastic level of customer service that will keep them coming back whenever they have a project to be fulfilled,” says Mr Hunt, who joined Port of Sunderland having worked in the UK port industry for more than 20 years.
“We’re not the kind of organisation that will turn people away. If we can accommodate requests, we will. And we pull out every stop to make sure that we do it to the highest standard. It’s essential to us that we maintain and strengthen the reputation we are building for excellence, and a key part of that is making sure that we impress at every opportunity.”
‘CAN DO’ APPROACH AND CONNECTIVITY Aside from it’s ‘can do’ approach to business, Port of Sunderland is also capitalising on the strengths that come from being at the heart of well-connected city.
“We’re within a stone’s throw of Sunderland city centre, which is quite advantageous. And as a city we also enjoy excellent connectivity, with road, rail and air links ensuring that we’re easy to reach. And of course, for commercial vessels coming into the port, we’re just minutes from open sea – accessible in every way,” adds Mr Hunt.
LONG TERM BUSINESS INTEREST “Our appeal goes beyond one-off projects though. Business is booming at the port, with a number of our customers establishing a permanent presence with us, having seen the benefits of working with our team. This is made even more attractive by the excellent availability of a highly skilled workforce, the legacy of the heavy industries era Sunderland enjoyed in the past.”
AJ WOODS ENGINEERING One such business that has strengthened its links to Sunderland is AJ Woods, an Essex headquartered engineering business. The company specialises in complex offshore structures for the renewable, oil and gas industries, and has recently committed to set up offices, stores and workshops at a facility at Port of Sunderland, allowing it to tap into the high demand from both existing clients and companies looking for services in the North East.
The decision to have a presence in Sunderland was made after the business spotted opportunities to be part of the construction and maintenance supply chain linked to the offshore renewable energy sector.
Robert Day, Business Development Manager at AJ Woods Engineering Ltd, said the addition of their Sunderland facility represented an important step forward for the company.
Mr Day explains: “The area is ideally situated for our expansion plans due to its strategic location. I’ve had the pleasure of being able to see first-hand the highly skilled pool of local labour available in the North East, which means the choice to employ locally is not only an easy decision but it’s an exciting and rewarding prospect.
“We have been approached by companies within the industry and are hoping to work on further developments at the port to create activity and subsequently, what I hope to be a strong presence in Sunderland.”
VOTE OF CONFIDENCE The decision to establish a presence in Sunderland is something the port believes represents a clear vote of confidence in its ability to provide the service and approach that will attract offshore business in the future.
Mr Hunt further explained: “Sunderland has a clear vision for growth and with ongoing investment going into the Port of Sunderland, we are sure that AJ Woods is the first of many businesses that will see great benefits in choosing our city as a location in which to grow their enterprise.
“Port of Sunderland is well placed to meet both the current and future demands of the North Sea oil and gas and the offshore renewable industry sectors and AJ Woods Engineering Ltd’s decision to expand their business within our port area is therefore a great coup for the city. Not only will we see an increased volume of offshore and subsea vessels on site, which in turn increases the use of the port’s cargo and marine services, but it is set to create wider opportunities for local employment within the community.
CREATING SOMETHING SPECIAL “We believe we’re a port that is on the cusp of something special, and we have all of the ingredients to be a major player when it comes to wind energy. The more businesses that work with us, the greater the opportunity we have to demonstrate exactly what we are capable of.”
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
UNIQUE MANAGEMENT TEAM The Port of Sunderland is municipally- owned and its management team has a quite clear imperative to grow its customer base and be decisive, commercially astute and ambitious.
Matthew Hunt says that this unique approach has ensured that the port has only seen the benefits associated with being council owned.
He explains: “As a municipal port, we believe that we benefit from a number of significant assets that allow us to really be at the cutting edge of the emerging offshore renewable energy and subsea sectors.
“We are empowered to make decisions and have the absolute backing of our owners, Sunderland City Council.”
This added to the benefits that tapping into Sunderland City Council’s business and leadership networks can bring, is something that Mr Hunt believes is setting the city apart with overseas businesses and investors.
And concluded: “Our-set up is similar to our counterparts overseas especially in Europe, where municipalities tend to own and operate major ports. We see our links with the local authority as offering a massive opportunity and something that is only making us even more attractive to global businesses.
“One of the most exciting things about our municipal set up is the fact that we can afford to take a long term view. So often, commercially operated ports are forced to make decisions that will deliver quick wins.
“We have the benefit of a council that believes in us, and one that can see the bigger picture. Change is coming quickly at Port of Sunderland, and that’s great, but the priority will always be to build a port that is sustainably successful. That is something we believe that tapping into wind and offshore power generation will allow us to achieve, and we see this as not only a small part of our future business, but a big and very important one.”
Port of Sunderland
www.makeitsunderland.com
AJ Woods Engineering
www.ajwoodsengineering.co.uk
e = See enhanced entry online = See video library online
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