Liverpool city region logistics specialist SSO Logistics creates 20 new jobs in a £500,000 investment in a third site as it looks to take full advantage of Freeport status. Tony McDonough reports

SSO Logistics has opened a new 40,000 sq ft warehouse in Widnes in a £500,000 expansion that creates 20 new jobs.

And the haulier, which already has sites in St Helens and Haydock, has also bought six forklift trucks for the Haydock operation. 

This new warehouse, which has space for 4,000 pallets, will be used by SSO for redirecting shipments for several delivery postcodes it covers for the Wolverhampton-based Pallet-Track network. 

It will save an estimated 32,000 miles annually from UK roads, which equates to cutting just under 24 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. 

Peter Draper, director at SSO Logistics, said: “With a lot of our work with Pallet-Track, the trunks would come back to Haydock. Now they can go direct to Widnes, which is quicker and has far less impact on the environment. 

“As a business, we’re growing and planning for the future. I believe many major warehousing projects are going to be shelved due to high interest rates, so we are securing space now and forward planning for our customers.

“With the new vehicles, there is also an environmental and business benefit. The Lithium truck can be charged in 15 minutes compared to an eight-hour full charge for the older lead acid models, which would often run out halfway through a shift.”

In December 2022 LBN revealed that SSO International Freight Forwarding would be LCR Freeport’s first customs site operator. It operates a designated customs site from its 50,000 sq ft warehouse in Haydock.

SSO, which is British Retail Consortium-accredited and has several customers in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) sector, is hoping the new Widnes site will also be confirmed as part of the Freeport in January 2024. 

“It’s not just about us being a freeport – it’s about us selling to customers so they can be too,” added Peter. 

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“For example, one of our customers imports from China, so pays no duty on arrival. We manage that on our site, and we release the duty if they sell the product in the UK. There’s a cashflow benefit and a big saving on high-duty goods.”