Sinclair Knight Merz was responsible for the following design aspects:
- shipping facilities that would allow road and rail transport options from the plant
- a process that would deliver the vehicles to clients in a timely manner
- a facility that would ensure a safe and secure method of transport of the vehicles
- a logistical solution that would accommodate flexible timetable scheduling and access
- a facility eligible for a Government grant to offset the project cost.
The Halewood site was completely remodelled and its shipping capabilities revolutionised from entirely road transport to 70 per cent rail, while retaining road capabilities.
As a sustainable transport option it was eligible for a £1.8m Freight Facilities Grant from the Government, which met nearly half of the total project expenditure of £2.8m. The finished project delivered more than £1.6m in environmental savings as well as the ‘big picture’ environmental benefits of removing more than 45,000 lorry journeys from UK roads (which equates to 8.7 million lorry miles).
As a result of this project, Jaguar went on to win the Institute of Logistics and Transport award for Freight Transport.