Logistics firm Dachser opens new £14.4m premises

Logistics giant Dachser has opened a new £14.4m logistics centre in Rochdale.

The German-owned logistics provider will celebrate its 10th anniversary in Rochdale in April 2020 and will be doing so from 5,175 sq m purpose-built facility at Kingsway Business Park.

The new facility has 49 dock loading doors – compared to just 13 at its previous site – and an additional four level access doors. There’s also an internal area of nearly 7,000 sq m, which includes office space and canteen facilities for staff.

Branch manager, Gary Atkinson, said Kingsway Business Park was the ideal location when the company outgrew its previous base in Chichester Street, in central Rochdale.

“We expect to recruit more people and we always look to recruit locally”, Gary said. “We have an established and award-winning apprentice programme with a number of apprentices on the Rochdale team.”

The company’s global workforce is approximately 31,000, including just over 100 in Rochdale, although the figure is expected to rise with more recruitment in the pipeline.

Building work started on the new facility at Kingsway in October 2018 and was completed at the end of August 2019, followed by a fit-out which has just finished.

Kingsway is run by a joint venture between Wilson Bowden, Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Rochdale Borough Council and Homes England.

Branch manager Atkinson described the development of the new logistics centre in Rochdale as 'testament to the team’s hard work over the past nine years' and a vital cog in the company’s operations in the North of England and Scotland.

Dachser is a German family owned international logistics provider. The company has 399 locations worldwide and handled 83.7 million consignments in 2018.

Dachser’s successful association with Rochdale began in 2010 when the company acquired J. A. Leach Transport. The business has since grown five-fold to its current turnover of £20m.

It was this growth that prompted Dachser to move from its previous location in Chichester Street.

Atkinson said: “On a purely commercial business case we could have moved out of the area but we’re a family business and our team is very important to us.

“We wanted to get closer to the motorway network but it was also vital for us to retain the skills and team that we have. The North and the North West are very important to us.”

Kingsway boasts a direct link to Junction 21 of the M62 and a dedicated Metro (tram) stop. Dachser adds its name to an impressive list of tenants on the business park.

Atkinson added: “We are part of the Northern Powerhouse. The £14.4m investment in the new facility reaffirms our commitment to Rochdale. We’ve worked very closely with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency from the start to completion and they have been really supportive throughout our journey.

“The new facility is everything we planned for and more. Prior to moving in, all our team were given a tour and everyone was delighted with the facility and looking forward to working there.”

The branch manager said not even talk about Brexit could derail Dachser’s vision.

“The project was discussed pre-Brexit and nothing changed once the Brexit decision was made,” he said. “Brexit may have changed some of the ways we do business but it won’t alter our commitment.”

Mark Rollinson, managing director of Dachser UK, agreed. "Our significant investment is evidence of Dachser's commitment to the UK market and our optimistic view on the future of both import and export trade with the rest of Europe,” he said.

Rollinson said the facility will enable Dachser to 'satisfy the demands of our customers' global integrated supply chains as well as a sustained increase in UK exports'.