3MG

The Mersey Multimodal Gateway (3MG) is a warehouse and logistics hub based in Widnes.

The site offers customers an efficient and cost-effective way of storing and moving goods, with a combination of road, rail and ports serving the UK.

3MG already has 750,000 sq ft of warehousing but is currently undergoing an £80m expansion. This will create another 3.5 million sq ft of new warehousing in the next two years, subject to planning permission, and over 5,000 jobs.

Although the site's development will continue through to 2012 it already operates daily rail services and has warehouse space available.

In March 2008 O'Connor completed works to expand the 3MG rail freight terminal. This six month project expanded the storage capacity of 3MG's freight terminal by 1,000 containers, up to 5,000.

The rail freight aspect of the site utilises the most recent crane technology and customised computer software, designed to enable staff to digitally locate every single one of the 5,000 containers.

Because the system automatically updates when a container is moved, vehicles can be turned around much quicker, as the process is easier to track and manage. The site target of just 15 minutes - compared to the industry standard of between one and two hours - shows how beneficial these innovations are.

The site expansion is being delivered by a partnership comprising of Halton Borough Council and O'Connor, a division of the Stobart Group. The development is endorsed and supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and once completed, will enable the north west to compete more effectively in the logistics sector, against existing locations in the Midlands and the south.