IT’S MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR LATEST EDITION OF CONNECT, MY FIRST AS CHAIRMAN OF THE AV DAWSON
You may be aware of my recent title change and I’m delighted to formally share with you the recent restructure of our board of directors to carry forward our new group structure.
This restructure welcomes members of the senior management team to the board and a new appointment, allowing for further sustained business growth.
Following In the footsteps of my late father, Maurice, the company chairman role will see me still very much involved in the business, but this change will allow other colleagues to develop and take more responsibility for running the business, while giving me more opportunity to support them. I’m very much looking forward to
this challenge and to seeing what 2023 will bring for AV Dawson. Looking back, we’ve certainly had a busy 12 months. We moved into our new head office, The Staiths, established our new transport arm - AV Dawson Transport Limited, and acquired a new companyCobra Middlesbrough.
2022 was certainly a year of many highs and that’s down to the continued hard work of our colleagues.
I am very excited to see what the year ahead of us has in store for the business.
HISTORY OF PORT OF MIDDLESBROUGH
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CONFERENCING FACILITIES IN MIDDLESBROUGH
OF MIDDLESBROUGH’S NEW RAIL TERMINAL ON THE ROAD TO DIVERSIFICATION
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HISTORIC UNVEILING
GROUP OF COMPANIES.AV Dawson, owner and operator of Port of Middlesbrough has undertaken a major restructure of its board of directors. The changes will allow for further sustained business growth and long-term succession within a new group structure.
Gary Dawson, former managing director, has assumed the position of chairman of the AV Dawson Group of companies. John Young, the former financial director will now deputise and take on the position of deputy chairman.
The chairman and deputy chairman roles will concentrate on the overall direction of the wider business, giving guidance to directors and senior leaders and supporting a number of strategic projects including the group’s environment and energy strategy.
These changes will also see Charlie Nettle, former commercial and marketing director, promoted to managing director designate. In his new role, he will be responsible for the management of the group subsidiary businesses including
AVD Industrial & Port Services Limited, Cockfield Knight & Co Limited, AV Dawson Transport Limited and the final subsidiary of the group restructure – Port of Middlesbrough Limited – which is due to start trading as a business from October this year.
The port operator will also welcome two long-standing senior managers to the board. Head of HR and training, Louise Croce, has been promoted to people and culture director and Craig Lloyd, will take over from John Young as group financial director, following his previous role as head of finance. Andrew Watkins will continue in his role as infrastructure and operations director.
Gary Dawson, chairman said:
“As chairman, I am following in the footsteps of my late father, Maurice Dawson. As was the case for Maurice, I will still be actively involved in the business, but this change will enable other colleagues to develop and take more responsibility for running
the business, while giving me more opportunity to support them.
“It is important to me to give our leaders the autonomy to make decisions going forward to secure our future succession. As well as continuing to promote our core values, I am keen to ensure we honour and protect the business’ past, but also inspire the team to create a strong, sustainable future.”
Charlie Nettle, managing director designate said: “I joined AV Dawson in 2015 and at the time I could see there was something very different, very special and very exciting about the business.
“Working with Gary over this time, I began to appreciate the responsibility on his shoulders, to build on a legacy of over 80 years and the work of the previous two generations of his family. I therefore recognise the trust that Gary is putting in me to ensure AV Dawson continues to be the unique business it is, as we take the group forward.
“There are some incredible people here, a real sense of team and a fantastic culture. Personally, I feel it is a huge honour to be appointed in this role.
“Over recent years we have undertaken some major strategic projects to position us well for the future, including establishing and embedding our company values, rebranding our Middlesbrough site as Port of Middlesbrough and introducing a group structure.
“One of the main focuses in my new role will be to ensure each of our new subsidiary companies develops into a strong, sustainable business in its own right, to build AV Dawson as a whole. It will be really rewarding to work with and support our managers and teams to achieve this.”
This major restructure was completed three months later with one further board level appointment - a property and legal director. Read more on P11.
AV Dawson’s in-house ships agency, Cockfield Knight, was tasked by Cleveland Steel & Tubes to charter a vessel to import 2,500 tonnes of steel pipes into Port of Middlesbrough.
The 300 steel pipes were to satisfy a number of orders from various steel stockholders across the UK and so the cargo included a wide range of pipe sizes. This large and complex import therefore needed the right expertise, knowledge, and competence to complete such a task.
From the outset, the Cockfield Knight team began a period of research to find the right vessel for the job, co-ordinating the transport to the port, ensuring the cargo was ready and berth availability was secured at both the load and discharge ports. In collaboration with vessel chartering specialists Douglas Maritime, Cockfield Knight contacted vessel owners to seek
the most suitable vessel in the market for carrying the cargo and negotiated the best freight rates to minimise the overall costs for the customer.
Being based at Port of Middlesbrough enabled Cockfield Knight to liaise closely with AV Dawson’s port operations team, who managed the efficient discharging of the cargo.
With the pipes being various different diameters and lengths, the stowage of the vessel was particularly complex.
In order for the cargo to be loaded safely and completely on one vessel, the Cockfield Knight team needed to ensure the stow plan was well-considered, this would also enable them to use the smallest possible vessel to accommodate the cargo and eliminate any unnecessary costs for the customer.
The team assessed a range of vessel sizes with different sized and shaped holds for the customer, executing various jigsaw like puzzles to find the optimum ship for accommodating the cargo.
Solution
Utilising its strong expertise and wealth of industry knowledge, Cockfield Knight was able to negotiate the charter party (contract) on behalf of Cleveland Steel & Tubes to secure favourable terms.
Cockfield Knight worked closely with agents and the load port terminal and at the discharge port, to ensure the vessel could berth on arrival at both berths and load and discharge the cargo promptly and securely. This saved time and costs for the customer, including the potential cost of demurrage, which would have had to be paid by the customer if the ship had been kept waiting beyond the agreed timescales.
Due to the complexity of the different pipes that were being imported, Cockfield Knight maintained constant contact with both Douglas Maritime and the ships owners, and provided revised cargo plans that could accommodate the full load. This meant that all parties involved were able to work as one team and build a strong relationship with the ship owner.
“It’s not until you deal with other agents from around the world, that you come to appreciate just how good Cockfield Knight are. We have dealt with Cockfield Knight for over 15 years and with good reason. A wealth of experience combined with a professional, reliable service, leaves them head and shoulders above the rest.”
Steve Paterson, Purchasing Manager - Cleveland Steel & Tubes
In September 2022, AV Dawson acquired dry bulk business, Cobra Middlesbrough, as part of its strategic investment and expansion plans.
The acquisition will see Port of Middlesbrough’s footprint grow by eight acres, unlocking further opportunities on what was previously a 100-acre site. Cobra, based on North Road in Middlesbrough, operates a dry bulk handling terminal with processing and packing facilities. The company’s main area of focus and expertise is in the salt market, handling and distributing thousands of tonnes of salt every year.
Much of the salt stored at the facility has been mined locally. Some of the salt is used in animal feeds, but the majority is
distributed to councils across the country for gritting roads during the winter.
Cobra also provides a range of services for the farming industry.
The business receives, screens and bags polyhalite – which, like salt, is mined. This is then used as a fertiliser in the agriculture sector in the UK and overseas.
The Cobra site, which is directly adjacent to Port of Middlesbrough, boasts extensive rail infrastructure and has direct access to the East Coast Mainline – this provides additional rail capacity for the port to support existing and new customers.
Gary Dawson, chairman said: “We’re excited to acquire Cobra
Middlesbrough. We have worked closely with the business for many years, handling the import and export of salt through our port facility and supporting their rail logistics. Bringing both operations together, within one business, enables us to deliver greater efficiencies for our customers.”
Gary continued: “We recognise that the site requires some significant investment, but this actually fits perfectly with our strengths and our strategy to invest, develop and expand our site.
“This acquisition is also strategically important for our wider business because of its excellent rail connectivity. We are working with more and more of our customers to help
them identify opportunities to transition from road to rail, so we need to ensure we have the capacity to accommodate their requirements. This is particularly important as we look to put our net zero strategy into action with the ultimate aim to become carbon neutral – we see rail as a big opportunity to help us and our customers to achieve this.”
This acquisition is not the first time AV Dawson has made a strategic investment to improve its rail infrastructure. In 2015, the business struck a deal with Network Rail to take full control of the seven-acre neighbouring Middlesbrough Goods Yard.
A huge well done to AV Dawson’s electrical engineer, Harry Cosgrove, for recognising that all the electrical pod chargers had been installed with the incorrect breakers. Meaning, that they could have posed a fire risk. The breakers have since been replaced with the correct ones, by the contractors who installed them.A Small Hamlet
In stark contrast to the busy town centre that it would become over the century, Middlesbrough’s population in 1801 stood at only 25 people, centred around Middlesbrough Farmhouse.
Did You Know?
In the early 1800s there was little industrial activity on the Tees at Middlesbrough. Instead, Stockton-on-Tees was the main port for the area.
1800s
1825
Did You Know? By 1829, Middlesbrough had been bought by local businessman and rail pioneer, Joseph Pease to build a new coal port, named Port Darlington, and a town in which the port workers could live. Pease famously predicted ‘Yarm was, Stockton is, Middlesbrough will be’.
Stockton & Darlington Railway Opened
The world’s first publicly-owned, steam-powered passenger railway opened to great fanfare between Stockton & Darlington in a ‘red letter’ day in transport history.
AV Dawson owns and operates
Port Darlington is Born
The coal staiths at Port Darlington were officially unveiled by the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company on 27 December 1830 with the opening of the Middlesbrough Branch Railway.
1830
1831
Did You Know? Developed as an extension of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, Middlesbrough can lay claim to being the world’s first planned railway new town.
First Cargo Exported
The first cargo to be exported from Port Darlington was coal, transported to the staiths and transferred to the steamship ‘Sunniside’. As trade increased, Middlesbrough became known as an important port.
Middlesbrough Dock Opened
As the coal export industry thrived, the staiths constructed at Port of Middlesbrough were unable to sustain the expanding enterprise and it was decided a dock would be better suited to the town’s needs.
Did You Know?
Middlesbrough Dock Clock Tower has four sides but only three clock-faces. It is said that employers to the north of the clock (where the face is blank) did not want their workers ‘clockwatching’.
1842
1850
‘Ironopolis’ - The Birth of Middlesbrough’s Iron Age
Middlesbrough was transformed from a dependence on coal export to one that would be defined by iron, following the discovery of iron ore in the Cleveland Hills.
Did You Know?
The Tees has the capability to support a diverse range of cargo including liquid bulks (such as oil), dry bulks (such as aggregates) and project cargo (including cables for offshore wind).
In September 2020, AV Dawson rebranded its facility as Port of Middlesbrough, giving a nod to the heritage of the site and a name that was first used almost 200 years earlier.
1998: AV Dawson acquired Lin-Din site to extend its port facility
Uniting to Protect the Community
The Tees community was brought together as the Tees Barrage was built as a flood defence, and Tees & Hartlepool Port Users Association (THPUA) was created to protect the interests of the industrial river community.
Port of Middlesbrough and is proud of the heritage of the site. Port of Middlesbrough’s history can be traced back to 1830, when an extension of the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened to deliver coal from the Durham coalfields to the new coal export staiths in Middlesbrough. The port was in fact the birthplace of modern Middlesbrough. Be
Timothy Hackworth: Rail pioneerThis timeline highlights key events in Middlesbrough’s history that shaped the port and the local area. It covers some of the wider developments linked to and around the port including urban developments, river developments, celebrations in the town and the wars.
Scan to read the full story of Port of Middlesbrough
Scan to read about the many organisations supporting this project
The Interwar Years
Gladstone’s ‘Infant Hercules’
William Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer visited Middlesbrough and famously described it as “remarkable, the youngest child of England’s enterprise…an Infant Hercules.”
1862
Did You Know?
By 1874, Middlesbrough had become England’s biggest iron-producer. It produced one-third of the nation’s output.
Celebrations
1881
Did You Know?
The expansion of Middlesbrough Dock left the original staiths at Port of Middlesbrough redundant.
In 1897 Mr T Roddam
Marking half a century since the opening of the coal staiths, although celebrations were delayed one year, Middlesbrough marked its Jubilee with a range of celebrations.
1980s1990s
Autonomy and Growth
The 1980s and 1990s heralded a new chapter and era of change for the River Tees. New opportunities were emerging in the oil and gas sector, resulting in investment in new port infrastructure in Middlesbrough.
The
Bridge was officially opened on 17 October 1911. It is one of only around 30 ever built and is the longest, operational transporter bridge in the world.
1911
1914 -
1918
The interwar years proved to be challenging times with unstable economic conditions bringing closures and conflict in the area. Despite this, extensive investment was underway at Dent’s Wharf.
First World War Middlesbrough and the industries along the River Tees played an important part in the First World War as the town and the numerous local works mobilised to support the country’s efforts.
Second World War Industries along the River Tees played a central part in the area’s contribution to the war effort, with local iron and steel being used to make military weapons and ammunition - this also made the area a target for air raid attacks.
1980
Did You Know?
Middlesbrough
150th Anniversary Celebrations
To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of modern Middlesbrough, a year-long programme of events and celebrations was arranged to take place throughout 1980.
19451970s
In 1973 AV Dawson made the most significant move in its history, relocating to the riverside and acquiring Dent’s Wharf’s site, renaming it Dawson’s Wharf.
Post-War Middlesbrough
The post-war era saw the closure of many of the heavy industries along the south bank of the Tees. Despite this, private sector investment and expansion continued at the port facilities in Middlesbrough.
2022 saw AV Dawson Transport expand its vehicle fleet by 25% by investing in state-ofthe-art trucks to support its diversification and expansion strategy.
The ten new heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are intended to help support the growth of its transport division and aid with its diversification strategy.
The Middlesbrough based business’ investment will strengthen the core fleet and enable further growth of the division, by allowing the expansion into new sectors.
The Scania R500 XT’s – five of which are ADR compliant – the European agreement which regulates the international movement of hazardous goods by land – also boast the XT package which includes reinforced bumpers to prevent
damage to the trucks and R500 engines.
AV Dawson Transport, accredited to the FORS Bronze Standard, has fitted the new trucks with extensive road management software which includes reverse parking sensors and 360-degree CCTV. These trucks also have the Optidrive CanBus system installed, which AV Dawson Transport currently uses to monitor safe driving standards, fuel efficiency & driver performance to promote efficient and safe driving.
Alex Hugill, head of commercial at AV Dawson Transport said:
“It’s an exciting time for our transport subsidiary, the investment will allow us to expand our customer base and explore new sectors.
“It also showcases the
commitment the business has to the Transport department and the value this division brings to the wider company.
“Additionally, the investment has led to a restructure within the department which has made way for new roles to further strengthen the transport team.
“This restructure will allow us to focus on offering an exceptional customer experience and provide a quality, value for money service.”
Paul Scott, head of operations at AV Dawson Transport said:
“Although there have been challenges in recent times regarding recruitment of HGV drivers due to a national shortage, this investment, along with other driver incentives, has
allowed us to attract and retain our HGV drivers.
“We look forward to seeing what the new changes bring to the transport business and wider group.”
The investment in the transport department is just one of a series of major investments the business has made over the past year including a new stateof-the-art head office at its Port of Middlesbrough site.
Plant investments, site infrastructure and the construction of a renewable energy facility are just some of the many activities the port is investing in, in a bid to meet the Government’s Net Zero targets. Learn more about AV Dawson Transport by visiting www.avdawsontransport.com
Inspiring the next generation of leaders is important to all businesses in the AV Dawson group.
Last year, the AV Dawson group welcomed 1,600 local primary school children through it’s doors at Port of Middlesbrough, as part of an initiative led by local education provider, SPARK Tees Valley, to educate children about the career opportunities and range of businesses based around the River Tees.
Split over 30 sessions, the 12-week programme welcomed children between the ages of 9 and 11 from 39 primary schools across the Tees Valley, to participate in the educational workshop named ‘World of Work.’
The interactive workshops include working with iPads, maps and interactive robots, allowing the children to learn about future careers around the River Tees and wider Tees Valley. Other activities include ‘behind the scenes’ exercises, whereby the children understand more about a range of Teesside businesses, through a variety of different tasks and video interviews with real employees of the companies.
Andrew Stogdale, founder of SPARK Tees Valley has been supporting schools for over 20 years –delivering engaging, real-world curriculum to inspire and develop young people in the region.
The company has been using Port of Middlesbrough’s conferencing facilities within The Staiths – its new state-of-the-art head office building to support the children’s learning by allowing them to witness firsthand the port operations in action.
Andrew commented:
“Our programmes are built on years of experience and research to widen children’s skills to help them understand what future opportunities lie ahead of them and how they can make the most of them. This programme at AV Dawson, which was funded by Tees Valley Combined Authority, has been a great example of that. It is a high impact, highly scalable project but what made it extra special was the opportunity to run it right in the heart of Port of Middlesbrough.
“We built additional activity around the fact that the building is in such an inspirational location with views across so many of the businesses
that we featured in the activities.
“The team at AV Dawson has been brilliant in working with us to enable us to deliver this worthwhile programme. The facilities at Port of Middlesbrough are also exceptional – from the high-quality Wi-Fi and space available to having an events team on hand to make every visitor feel really welcome. When we get the opportunity, we will definitely be looking to deliver this programme here with AV Dawson again because the impact on nearly 2000 local children this year has been immense.”
The port is perfectly placed on the River Tees along with neighbours, Wilton Engineering, PD Ports and a host of many other maritime companies, allowing the children to witness firsthand the type of dayto-day activities that go on along the river.
Bankfields Primary School located in Middlesbrough, were one of many schools taking part in the programme at Port of Middlesbrough.
Megan Kelly, STEM, careers and enterprise lead at Bankfields Primary School said:
“The children had a fantastic day and many of them said it was the best trip they have ever been on. The children were able to explore a range of skills across a range of curriculum lessons. They explored the importance of the Tees Valley area and discovered the many amazing opportunities that are available to them in their local area. It is vital for children to have career driven days because it is important to raise the aspirations of children and give them the opportunity to see what they can do in the future and not limit their expectations and potential.”
Anthony Suddes, AV Dawson’s group marketing manager said:
“We were delighted to support SPARK Tees Valley with this exciting project and to welcome all these young people to Port of Middlesbrough. It’s vitally important to showcase to the next generation the opportunities we have in our area and for the children to actually see these opportunities for themselves, is fantastic.”
A 200-metre square mural has been unveiled at Port of Middlesbrough to celebrate the birthplace of modern Middlesbrough and to showcase the site’s 190-year history and its rich rail heritage.
The mural, entitled ‘Hidden Hero’, features Timothy Hackworth, the rail pioneer who designed the original coal export staiths at Port Darlington – now known as Port of Middlesbrough – as well as designing the first locomotive to deliver cargo to the port – which was named “Globe.” Hackworth was pivotal to the original
development of Port of Middlesbrough, the growth of Middlesbrough town and the evolution of the railway across the world.
The commemorative mural, which was unveiled by Jane Hackworth-Young, the great-great granddaughter of Hackworth, has been painted onto an external, gable end wall, adjacent to The Staiths –AV Dawson’s new head office at Port of Middlesbrough.
The artist who designed and painted the mural was Lewis Hobson from Durham Spray Paints. AV Dawson worked with Arts Council England’s Borderlands Creative People & Places, who provided some funding towards the project.
AV Dawson has established a new company to support the growth of its transport division.
AV Dawson Transport Limited, incorporating all of the company’s road haulage services, is the latest business to become part of the AV Dawson Group.
As part of a wider company restructure to support the long-term business strategy, AV Dawson Transport Limited, is the third company to join the group structure and began trading at the beginning of October.
AV Dawson has already launched two subsidiary businesses, including AV Dawson Industrial & Port Services Limited, the business responsible for logistics and port services on its customers’ sites and the company’s ships agency subsidiary, Cockfield, Knight & Company Limited.
Within this new structure, AV Dawson Limited – which owns the Port of Middlesbrough estate –has become the parent company of the group.
Charlie Nettle, managing director designate said: “The launch of the group structure illustrates our growth and development as a business. Not only will this help us
maintain strong relationships with our customers, but it will also give each subsidiary business more autonomy to invest and develop. We envisage this will also provide more development opportunities for our colleagues and keep talent within the business.”
The new subsidiary will be taken forward under the leadership of existing transport department managers Paul Scott and Alex Hugill, who have been promoted to AV Dawson Transport’s head of operations and head of commercial respectively.
Paul Scott, head of operations at AV Dawson Transport said: “We are excited the transport arm of the business has become an entity in its own right. This will strengthen the business in delivering the existing efficiencies of our current multimodal freight logistics operations and will also ensure greater resilience, so we can continue to support existing and potential customers in the long term.
“However, it won’t change the overall ethos of the company – we will continue to be the values-led, supportive, customer-focused business we have always been.”
(L-R): Andy Preston, Middlesbrough Mayor; Shahda Khan, director, Borderlands Creative People and Places; Jane Hackworth-Young, the great-great granddaughter of Timothy Hackworth; Gary Dawson AV Dawson’s chairman and Lewis Hobson, owner of Durham SprayPaints.AV Dawson, owner and operator of Port of Middlesbrough has welcomed an experienced legal professional to its board of directors.
Gareth Jones, one of the leading property lawyers in the North East, has been appointed as property and legal director. This brand new position has been created to lead and develop the strategic direction of AV Dawson’s growing property function and comes on the back of the announcement of a recent board restructure at the company.
Gareth joins the business early in the second quarter of the year, following a successful career in the legal profession, most recently working for top Teesside law firm, The Endeavour Partnership where AV Dawson is one of its key clients. Gareth will work closely with Andrew Watkins, infrastructure and operations director, who has led some major infrastructure projects on the port over recent years, including the business’
state-of-the-art head office which opened last year.
Gary Dawson, chairman of AV Dawson said: “Having worked with the business for nearly 20 years, Gareth has a unique understanding of our legal and property requirements.”
“Our site at Port of Middlesbrough is now around 115 acres and represents quite a comprehensive portfolio of land and buildings; ranging from large fabrication halls to climate-controlled automotive metals warehouses.
“As our group structure evolves, we have recognised we need someone with Gareth’s skills and experience to lead this very important area of our business. As we drive forward on our ambitions to decarbonise our port, incorporating renewable technologies into building design and infrastructure, Gareth’s
expertise on these major strategic projects will be invaluable.”
The port operator’s everexpanding site is home to 35 tenants including Prysmian Group, Modus and F.H Bertling. As the focus on renewables has increased, the site has also secured an anaerobic digestion plant and a newly commissioned processing plant that will produce pellets for use as a fuel instead of coal.
Gary continued: “Having worked closely with Gareth for a number of years, it is evident that he shares very similar values to our organisation and will play a key role in our directorial team. With the recent growth in our property legal work and the wealth of knowledge Gareth already has regarding AV Dawson’s property function, this presented a perfect opportunity for Gareth to join the business.
“This certainly does not mark the end of our work with Endeavour.
Over the years we have built up a strong relationship with the team there and we will continue to work with them on other areas of legal advice including acquisitions, commercial and employment law.”
Commenting on his new position, Gareth said: “I am delighted to have been offered this new role. With an 80-year history, AV Dawson is one of Teesside’s largest family companies and I’m excited to be a part of the next chapter.
“After spending three decades in the legal sector, I look forward to working in a new industry and role and I’d like to thank The Endeavour Partnership for all the opportunities and support they have given me.”
Lee Bramley, managing partner at Endeavour said: “Gareth will be a real asset to AV Dawson, and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him and the rest of the AV Dawson team on their amazing journey.”
Are you looking for somewhere to host your next event or business meeting? Then look no further! Port of Middlesbrough has a range of conference and meeting rooms which are ideal for business meetings and group gatherings.
Port of Middlesbrough offers modern, spacious conferencing and events facilities right on the port.
Whether you are looking to host a breakfast networking meeting or a conference call, Port of Middlesbrough has the facilities to suit your needs.
There are four main room options available to hire – two of which provide the industrial backdrop and views of a working port. It really is one of the most contemporary workspaces in the Tees Valley.
• Training rooms and meeting rooms to accommodate up to 120 guests
• State-of-the-art audio visual systems and wifi
• Refreshment and catering packages available
• Ample parking on site
• Disabled access
• Dedicated events team on-hand