Driving beyond traditional port services

Taking advantage of their ‘hub’ status, they continue to expand their added-value services, from traditional PDI (pre-delivery inspection) activities through to transit repairs, paintwork, fleet and showroom quality preparation and customised additions such as sunroofs or leather seats.

For some, it is an in-house affair; Paul Glock, Medway Ports’ marketing manager at Sheerness, says this approach enables the port to guarantee total quality throughout all aspects of the service range.

‘In the past we relied on third-party service providers but we have now decided to do it all in-house, ‘ he says. After the decision by the MCL Group to close its vehicle enhancement operations at the 34-acre Cullet Drive compound at Sheerness, Medway Ports brought the entire operation and facility in-house, taking on the former MCL workforce and offering the services direct to the customers.

‘These facilities are very important to the deepsea car trade, ‘ says Medway Ports managing director Des Crampton. ‘We have the skills, equipment and capability to offer bodyshop and other work in the port ‘ we are now offering these services as part of a one-stopshop totally within our control. ‘ The Bristol Port Company takes a rather different view. ‘We obviously do the stevedoring and to a certain extent run the terminal handling, ‘ says chief executive Simon Bird. ‘But PDI work and other work such as putting in leather seats or air conditioning is carried out by Walon, part of the Autologic group. If we did this work we would end up competing with our customer, Walon, and we don’t want to do that. ‘ At Southampton, which handled 730,000 vehicles in 2005, PDI work is a central part of Associated British Ports’ involvement in the sector. According to Chris Harris, ABP’s business development manager at the port, over 120,000 units went through ABP Connect’s PDI centre last year. ‘This was full pre-delivery inspection and various vehicle enhancements, ‘ he says. ‘If it is going to happen at all, the customer wants it to happen at a port. As with most logistics operations, the port of entry is the key place to do the work, because it takes one leg out of the distribution chain.

The port of entry becomes a far more important place than just its location. ‘ ABP Connect employs about 250 people in PDI and vehicle enhancement work at Southampton, where it has a 60,000 sq ft workshop for volume work and a smaller area for more bespoke work, both in the Western Docks.

Outside Southampton, the company has also extended its influence in the sector inland. It has a contract with Toyota’s Burnaston plant in which it is responsible for vehicle acceptance and yard operations, including loading to car transporters, while Autoshipping, part of ABP Connect, acts as port provider for BMW in the UK, arranging shipping for the BMW Minis built at Oxfor