NORFRIGO:
Already managing 223,000 m3 of cold storage warehouses in Boulogne-sur-Mer, NORFRIGO opened a new 48,000 m3 (i.e., 10,400 pallets) cold storage facility at the port of Dunkirk in 2020. This investment of almost 10 million euros is a response to the demands of its customers, an increasing number of whose goods transit through the port of Dunkirk. New regular routes towards the continent of South America and even the Republic of Ireland have been launched to complement the existing routes to Asia and Africa. Great Britain’s exit from the European Union on 31 December 2020 also played an important part: the resulting additional costs (freight forwarders, veterinary services, customs services, etc) will indeed encourage importers and exporters to consolidate their flows and therefore increase their storage and warehousing needs.
SFAN:
Founded in 2017 by property developer Julien de Lapize, Société Foncière Axe Nord (SFAN) is investing 60 million euros into the new logistics area at Dunkirk port to develop an ambitious warehouse programme there. In September 2021, construction work will begin to build a 42,000 m2 warehouse. By 2022, a high-rise building (43 metres) that has negative cold conditions and a stacker crane with a capacity for 66, 000 pallets will be built in the fast port area. These two warehouses are intended to be leased out to manufacturers to help consolidate their import and export flows.
24H FROST:
In 2019, Belgian company 24h Frost set up a 80,000 m3 cold store in the logistics area of the West Port (Port Ouest) of Dunkirk. Located beside the container terminal, this building has a storage capacity of 10,600 pallets. The company chose the port of Dunkirk as the traffic conditions there are much better than around the ports of Belgian Flanders and because the project was warmly received with very reasonable conditions. In the context of Brexit, having a warehouse in Dunkirk also guarantees its British clients quick delivery times despite the new customs restraints. 24h Frost’s facility rounded off the range of port warehouses, which now totals over 120,000 m².
TESTIMONIAL OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CONHEXA:
CONHEXA, a Belgian group operating in Dunkirk since 1993, once again expanded its storage capacity for fresh food in 2021, now reaching 33,000 m2. It’s a new 3 million euro investment in the purchase and full renovation of a 5,000 m2 warehouse. Eventually, Conhexa’s ambition is to become the leading temperature-controlled logistics provider (positive and negative) in the port of Dunkirk, particularly for the import and export shippers in the Hauts-de-France area.
CN’J GROUP:
Based in Quaëdypre since 2001, the transport and logistics company CN’J GROUP employs around one hundred workers and has also chosen to expand at the port of Dunkirk. It has recently invested in a 6,000 m2 warehouse with offices, just beside the container terminal. Specialising in the storage and handling of particular products, this warehouse offers an innovative concept in the management and handling of containers. A repair and maintenance workshop for chassis and road tractors, office space for rent, and a dining and relaxation area open to everyone round off this original service offer intended for the users of the port.
DUNKIRK PORT:
The port of Dunkirk intends to develop its container sector with one specific objective: to bring traffic levels to 1 million TEU in the next 4 years and to 2 million by 2035. To do so, an initial investment was made in the Flandres Terminal (Terminal des Flandres). The container terminal dock was extended by 500 metres in 2019 to reach 1,785 metres in length. It is now able to accommodate two 400-metre long container ships (ULCS types) simultaneously and in all tidal conditions. All the extension work was carried out under the Project Management of Dunkirk-Port and was co-financed by the French Government. At the same time, the Grand Port Maritime of Dunkirk (GPMD) has developed a new 125-hectare Major Industries Area (ZGI). This space is one of the twelve turnkey industrial sites certified by the State in 2020. The ZGI is a place where companies can set up at an accelerated pace in advance of the administrative procedures relating to town planning, preventive archaeology and the environment. It’s a real asset for investors. Furthermore, this area has a 40 MW substation, the capacity of which could be increased to 110 MW. This 13 million euro investment, a first in France both in terms of its execution speed and its form (it is built ahead of demand), is supported by RTE (French electricity transmission system operator) and Enedis (French electricity company), in partnership with the Port of Dunkirk and the Greater Dunkirk Urban Council.
Find all the detailed information on the industrial renewal in our latest issue of Dunkerque News
