Pentalver opens new 5,000-container depot

Pentalver has opened a new container depot in Cannock, Staffordshire. The £12.5m purpose-built facility spans 28 acres and is one of the largest in-land container handling facilities in Europe, with the capacity to store 5,000 containers. Andrew Jellis, depot manager at Pentalver Cannock, says: "A lot of thought has gone into our new facility at Pentalver Way.

"From its inception, our aim was to make the site as accessible as possible and its location in the very centre of the UK gives exceptional road links to the major ports of Felixstowe and Southampton. "We believe the new facility will help us attract more cust-omers to join a portfolio that already includes Bridgestone, Toyota and Ricoh."

Work on the depot, which is on the site of a former colliery, started in October last year. Security features include 24-hour lighting columns, infrared CCTV, security fencing and on-site guards. There is also a water recycling plant, safe habitats for the badger population, and a pond and waterway for newts and other pond life.

The depot incorporates a VOSA-approved test lane so the firm can MOT and service its own fleet, as well as third- party vehicles on request. There are 30 refrigeration points for loaded storage containers and, as the site is located next to a railway line, there is the potential for a dedicated rail link in the future. Pentalver Cannock is the result of Pentalver - a subsidiary of Maersk - acquiring Cannock-based Bowmur Haulage in May 2005.

The operation comprises 400 employees and a fleet of 200 trucks.