British parcels carrier APC Overnight will build a new £14 million hub in Staffordshire, in theWest Midlands region of England, in response to 15% growth boosted by the increasing demand for its
next-day delivery services.The land for the new facility has been purchased and the planning approved. Located at KingswoodLake, Cannock, the 11,892 sqm hub is scheduled to be completed by September 2012. Each month, APCcollects, routes and delivers more than 1.4 million parcels.
The hub is expected to more than double the capacity of the current site in Essington nearWolverhampton, thanks to its state-of-the-art material handling systems, including an Interrollcross-belt sortation system, among others. In addition, the company will expand its hub-basedtrunking fleet with 50 Don-Bur EcoStream double-decker trailers.
“The new hub is essential to APC’s national operations and future development; it is a majorinvestment made possible through the growth we are enjoying across the APC network. With the highdemand for our next day deliveries, we have outgrown our existing hub in Essington. The new site atKingswood Lake will provide us with a well-designed, state-of-the-art and very efficient nationalbase. Also, by remaining in the Midlands, we can retain our highly skilled workforce and thelocation is convenient for future recruitment, as and when we need additional hub staff. We arealso equipping the new hub with advanced systems that will boost productivity and efficiency,” saidIvor Skinner, APC Overnight Managing Director.
Staffordshire County Councillor Ben Adams, who is also a Cabinet Member for Economic Growth andEnterprise, commented: “APC joins the growing family of businesses choosing to locate inStaffordshire which really does demonstrate that our county is an ideal place to invest. Theeconomy and prosperity are our top priorities and we are ensuring that we invest in supportingbusiness and in the necessary infrastructure to attract major national and internationalcompanies.”
APC Overnight is the largest next-day delivery network in the UK’s with more than 120 localdepots covering all areas of the country. It is owned and managed by independent local deliveryspecialists connected into a strong managed system. Originally created by a consortium of 47 UKsame-day delivery companies in the early ’90s, APC Overnight has tripled the size of itsnetwork.
