FEATURE
Location - AV Dawson ’ s Port of Middlesbrough is positioned close to the Transporter Bridge on the River Tees .
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 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 .
“ AV Dawson ’ s original quayside was built in 1830 , with the later addition of Middlesbrough Dock which opened in 1842 . By the 1890s this area of the river became known as Port of Middlesbrough , so this isn ’ t a new brand , we are simply returning to our roots as we look towards the future .”
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 .
Charlie continues : “ The identity wasn ’ t the only problem that we had to navigate . In addition to struggling 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 create 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 .
“ Importantly , this strengthens the credentials of our town - Middlesbrough now has a port , carrying the town ’ s name , less than a mile from the town centre .”
Charlie believes that Middlesbrough is becoming one of the north ’ s best-connected towns . The port is in close proximity to the town ’ s railway station - due to undergo a £ 35m refurbishment - and is less than a mile away from the new Tees Advanced Manufacturing Park , while developments to Teesside International Airport continue at a pace .
“ The Port of Middlesbrough should be a real benefit for the wider area too ,” he adds . “ We plan to work closely 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 .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 89