Feature, Freight News, Logistics, Sea

Wilson James builds for the future in Tilbury

[ August 6, 2020   //   Chris ]

Construction logistics specialist Wilson James has expanded its warehousing and consolidation capacity at the port of Tilbury. The new facility augments the company’s existing London Construction Consolidation Centre and helps it to deliver material and equipment to sites in ever-shorter timeframes.

Wilson James created the LCCC in East London in 2005, which was the first facility of its kind and continues to be ideally located for projects across London. It also provides space for contractors to build mock-ups, create quality samples and carry out off-site fabrication. The company assessed all available options and decided that the Port of Tilbury offered the most suitable opportunities for expansion.

Tilbury is the number one UK port for construction materials, handling aggregates, specialised dry bulk materials, timber; plywood, forest products, bricks, paving and stone. It has easy access to the M25 and the UK’s national motorway network.

Wilson James operations director, Keith Winterflood, said: “Tilbury ticked all the boxes. As well as being strategically located and boasting state-of-the-art facilities, it makes importation of overseas goods easier for us. Just as importantly, in addition to the excellent transportation links by road and rail, we can improve sustainability across our operation through the use of barges on the River Thames and other waterways.”

This can significantly lower carbon emissions. Winterflood continued” Fifty lorry loads of equipment can fit on one barge and it also gives us the ability to transport large and heavy deliveries, which are normally challenging to accommodate on London roads. When it’s not possible to use the waterways, the Port of Tilbury’s proximity to the M25 allows goods to be dropped off without coming into London, which we can then transport using our fleet of electric and fuel efficient vehicles.”

The company is looking forward by government plans to build the UK back to economic health and expects to have a major role to play

The Port of Tilbury’s commercial manager, Alison Hall, commented: “We are very pleased that Wilson James has chosen the Port of Tilbury as the location for its latest consolidation centre. Our unique combination of transportation links will help Wilson James remove complexity in the supply chain and reduce journey miles, thereby creating a sustainable way to ensure that material and equipment gets to where it needs to be, on time.

“This is an exciting time for the port as we continue to invest in our infrastructure and open our new port extension Tilbury2 which will home one of the largest construction material terminals in the UK.

“We look forward to working with Wilson James to provide joint solutions for construction projects and support to its existing supply chains that are keen to gain from the sustainable benefit the port can offer with our unrivalled train, road and sea connections. On average we see a CO₂ saving of 95% compared with road when barging materials on water. Using water for freight transport also significantly removes congestion from London’s roads.”

Tags: Forth Ports; Tilbury