AV DAWSON, the Middlesbrough-based freight logistics specialist, has won a national award for its state-of-the-art automotive distribution centre.

It won the Warehousing Award at the Freight Industry Times (FIT) Awards which took place at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham last week.

The FIT Supply Chain Champion Awards, which were launched this year, were introduced to showcase and celebrate excellence in the supply chain logistics sector.

Neil McShane, AV Dawson quality manager, said: "It’s a real boost for the team to be recognised by our industry through this award. Since November, when we won the Best Large Commercial Building at the Northern Awards of the Local Authority Building Control Building Excellence Awards the automotive store has attracted quite a bit of interest.

"Prior to winning the award last week, the facility has been recognised with two further awards earlier this year; one for service excellence and one for the innovative heating system and the environmental features that have been installed."

AV Dawson, which owns and operates a 100-acre freight handling facility on Teesside, officially opened its pioneering 102,263 square foot, rail-connected warehouse last year, to support the ever increasing supply of steel coil into car giant Nissan in Sunderland.

Mr McShane said the award was also a great win for Teesside’s automotive sector, further demonstrating the strength of this sector in the region.

He said: "Alongside leading Teesside-based businesses such as Nifco and ElringKlinger, who have also both won awards recently, and with the support of organisations such as the North East Automotive Alliance, we’ve enabled the region to carve out a leadership position as a heavyweight player within the sector."

AV Dawson, employs 240 people and has undergone a £12.5m master plan which has enabled it to grow more than a third. The three-phase plan included a £2.6m intermodal rail terminal, which provides freight firms with a direct link to the East Coast Mainline; a £3.4m deepwater quay which allows companies to kit out vessels and ship wind turbine components out to sea; and its £6.5m automotive steel distribution centre.