Dutch transport enterprise is Northampton's gain
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by John Darker
NORTHAMPTON last week joined the select band of inland ports in Britain with full import and export customs facilities. The new depot and head office of Gelders UK Transport Ltd shares a 9-acre site with Northampton Clearance Depot Ltd — an independent sister company which is keen to promote the use of its customs facility by any company exporting or importing goods by road.
Located some three miles east of the town centre, at the new Round Spinney estate, the Gelders depot, which incorporates the independent NCD, includes a bonded warehouse of 3716 sq m (40,000 sq ft). It is expected to handle Some 10,000 clearances in the first year.
Gelders UK Transport Ltd is the British subsidiary of the Dutch parent company, 14 V Gelders Overslag-en Expeditiebedrijf, founded 40 years ago in Arnhem. The European network comprises 35 offices with associated freight handling depots situated in the main industrial areas.
The UK company was. formed in 1968 operating from Hull and mainly concentrating on groupage traffic. The business has expanded greatly and there are now Gelders depots in Manchester, Hamilton, Birmingham, Bristol and Hull with further expansion plans in the near future covering London and other major industrial centres.
Northampton was chosen by Gelders for its new UK base because it is within easy reach of the motorway network and is itself a rapidly expanding town of over 200,000 population. Within a 100 miles radius of Northampton reside over 60 per cent of the total UK population. There is no lack of houses for the Gelders staff who are moving to Northampton from Hull.
The Customs Long Room, associated with the clearance depot, is at Marefair, Northampton town centre, and from here customs documentation for Luton airport is also processed. At the clearance depot, some three miles away, goods can be moved in and out of Britain without any need to await customs clearance at ports or airports, being cleared directly by a customs officer at the depot.
The scale of operations can be imagined by the joint trailer holding of Northampton and Arnhem depots which dispose of some 110 trailers, mostly 40footers. The prime movers are DAFs.