60 acres nowhere near enough for Teesside firm

Aug 6 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

LOGISTICS company AV Dawson is defying forecasts of recession by seeking land for expansion, having posted more than 20% growth in three years.

The family business headed by management director Gary Dawson currently enjoys sales of about £12m, up from less than £10m three years ago.

And staff numbers at the Tees Valley firm have jumped from 80 to 120 in the same period.

Now managers are trying to buy land next to the company’s 60-acre home next to the Tees, west of the Transporter Bridge. The 70-year-old Middlesbrough company is using every available inch of its present property, so needs more space to fuel its expansion.

With customers including steel maker Corus and chemical companies at Wilton, AV Dawson is in demand for its services all the time.

And a heavy lifting crane, which can take 170 tonnes from a ship in one payload, is another attraction for clients.

Commercial manager Rob Turnbull said: “We are looking for two or three other sites as we are up to our eyes with no space left on site.

“We are in the process of purchasing sites and other buildings that come up for sale in the Riverside Park, within half or three-quarters of a mile of here. One deal is almost through and another is in the process of being negotiated.

“We are currently turning people down as we don’t have the space to accommodate them. The idea is if things continue as they are, these new sites will be full as well, so the future looks pretty bright.”

AV Dawson has been in Middlesbrough since 1938.

The business started out with just a haulage fleet, but has now expanded into running wharf operations with four berths on the River Tees, storage warehouses and a rail connection.

The business has a fleet of 140 trailers for use in road haulage, with 15 of its own tractor units to pull them, as well as employing a team of semi-permanent contract drivers with their own vehicles. Mr Turnbull said AV Dawson had not been affected by the credit crunch and economic downturn as yet.

He said: “It’s not affected us at the moment, and we hope that will carry on.”

Will the deep sea container terminal planned by PD Ports for Teesport help to drive demand for AV Dawson’s services?

“The more investment PD put in, the better the attraction for people to come here. Containers from the new terminal will go straight to Tesco or Asda, but there will be knock-ons.

“For instance, land those warehouses take up might otherwise have been used for other things, giving us an opportunity.”