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in England and in


2018 British Steel also exported over 140,000 tonnes of steel directly from Port of Middlesbrough’s quayside facilities destined for overseas markets. The business has one of


the largest independent rail terminals in the North of England. The rail links directly to the East Coast Mainline and provides immediate access to the ports’ quayside facilities and rail freight terminal. The rail facilities are used by some of the country’s biggest household names including Tata Steel The purpose-built


intermodal container storage terminal based on the 100-acre site has excellent access to the main arterial transport routes including, A66 and A19 and M1. The site is also the closest off dock storage depot to Teesport delivering and loading and storing over 15,000 containers annually with experience in delivering to sites all over the UK. The site also offers additional Devanning, stacking and re-loading capabilities for shifted and unsafe loads. The Port of


Middlesbrough is supported by an extensive fleet of over 200 trailers transporting a wide range of cargos delivering to rail terminals, ports and manufacturers across the UK. With such a


recognisable brand steeped in history and heritage and an enviable customer list, many may question the need to re-brand at all? Gary Dawson, managing director of AV Dawson explains, “Over


the years the


business transitioned from a one-man and woman coal merchants, moving from horses to trucks and via three sites in Middlesbrough to its first quayside, before buying all the adjacent plots culminating in 100 acres of integrated


Issue 6 2020 - Freight Business Journal


Charlie continued: “In addition to the


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rail infrastructure, warehousing and quayside. “This, and the various


site names has given us a real identity crisis and while the name AV Dawson Ltd prevails, it is a challenge to describe succinctly what AV Dawson Ltd is. Invariably we find ourselves defining the business by the site names and activities we have developed. “Over recent months


we have thought long and hard about what drives the business forward and what defines us. We’ve concluded that our location and the River Tees are key to this, neither of which feature in the company name. So given the nature of all of the multimodal assets and activities that we own and operate, we are best positioned from a marketing perspective describing ourselves as a port. “We wanted to


consolidate under one new encompassing brand and image, but with a continuation of the AV Dawson name and legacy. ‘Port of Middlesbrough – an AV Dawson facility’ fits with our history and reflects the growth of our business and the town. “As


the Tees Valley


positions itself to be a global leader in manufacturing and industrial excellence, all


identity we struggled to clearly convey what the business was about and the services it offered, it was often a challenge to articulate to potential customers the scale of the business, its capabilities and its appetite for investing and development. I often found myself naturally referring to the site as a port. When you think of a port it is generally assumed that it will have all the additional service functions including rail connectivity, warehousing, storage and road haulage in place to support


that


operation, the port brand should help us showcase our full logistical services. In turn this will help us alter any past perceptions that we just do road haulage, although that is a big part of our business, we have considerably more to offer. “This is an exciting


‘next step’ for AV Dawson, an opportunity to establish and progress the business in new markets under the new brand. The launch will also kick off a series of further investments and progress our port master plan, which will go on to creating further jobs and investment in the local area. “The new brand is also an excellent geographical locator for us, as it clearly identifies where we’re located in the UK and the direct access we have to main road links, rail routes and of course the North Sea via the River Tees. We plan to work closely


eyes are on businesses that will support and deliver this step change in progress. We want to be at the epicenter of this will be Port of Middlesbrough” Although the


collective identity posed a challenge


when commercial and marketing director Charlie Nettle joined


the business five years ago, this wasn’t the only reason for the rebrand.


with the statutory harbour authority, PD Ports, to ensure the Tees attracts more ships, as ultimately this will help drive jobs and the local economy.”


Contact: Richard Hodgson enquiries@av-dawson.com +44 (0) 1642 209191 or +44 (0) 7525 275871


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