Logistics

The North West is extremely well served by an extensive motorway network, two international airports and a frequent express rail service to London. Within the sector, major manufacturers such as AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and Novartis serve major components of their global manufacturing and supply chain, while smaller companies operating in the regenerative medicine/cell products area are able to support very challenging requirements for clinical product distribution from the region.

Air

Manchester Airport 
Operating from three terminals, with two runways, Manchester Airport is conveniently reached from J5 of the M56, about 20 minutes drive from central Manchester. Directions to terminals are well signed from all approach roads with colour-coded cubes indicating the best route to each terminal and its car park. Over 180 international destinations are served, many on scheduled flights as well as charter services to holiday destinations.

The Station, Manchester Airport's integrated transport hub, offers fast and frequent train services linking the airport with over 100 destinations across the North of England and beyond. Frequent direct services run to and from Sheffield, York, Newcastle, Leeds, Huddersfield, Bolton, Preston, Blackpool and the Lake District. These services, operated by TransPennine Express and Northern Rail, run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To speed your way to cities further afield, up to 6 trains an hour link Manchester Airport to Manchester Piccadilly station in the city centre, where you can connect to fast rail services countrywide.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is situated 7 miles South East of Liverpool City Centre, adjacent to the River Mersey and close to the M57, M62 and M56 motorways. Connections to Liverpool Lime Street station using the AirLink 500 bus run every 20 minutes Monday to Friday or every 30 minutes in the evening and at weekends.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport offers low cost flights to over 60 destinations in 16 European countries and to London City Airport. Passenger numbers have increased 6 fold over the last ten years reaching 5.47 million in 2007, making it one of the fastest growing airports in Europe.

Rail
There are 16 direct trains running daily from London to Liverpool with a journey time of just over 2½ hours and 36 direct trains from London to Manchester with a journey time of just over 2 hours.

Motorway Network
The M6 motorway runs north-south through the region with east and west links via the A50, M56, M62, M61 and M65 and the M60 outer ring road around Manchester. Given this network and the region's geographically central location for the entire UK, the North West is home to regional distribution centres for many major companies and specialist healthcare logistics companies all have bases in the region.

Frieght and Cold Chain Supply

Port of Liverpool
Liverpool dominates Britain's container trade with North America and serves more than 100 other non-EU destinations fron China to India, Africa, Australia, the Middle East and South America. The Port of Liverpool is also home to the UK's largest free zone, Liverpool Freeport, accomodated in more then 3 million square feet of warehousing with another 400,000 sq ft planned, bringing the port's total logistics accomodation to more than 4 million sq ft.

Pangaen
Pangaen Ltd is a new logistics company based at Manchester Airport's World Freight Centre specialising in the handling of air-freighted perishable products. The only centre of its kind outside London.

Cold Move
Specialists in temperature controlled storage and distribution with depots at Oswestry, Warrington and Bromborough.

Transworld Freight
Express freight company, offering a wide range of services across the whole spectrum of the express industry.

FedEx
FedEx, the world's largest express transportation company has a base at Trafford Park from which the Northwest is serviced. FedEx also operates a four-times weekly flight from Manchester to its hub in Memphis, Tennessee.

Regional Distribution

AAH Pharmaceuticals
AAH Pharmaceuticals is a leading distributor of pharmaceutical and healthcare products and services to pharmacies, hospitals and doctors. AAH operates from headquarters in Coventry with 17 distribution centres across the UK including Warrington in the Northwest.

Healthcare Logistics
Healthcare Logistics are a subsidiary of the Movianto Group, Europe's specialist pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics service provider. With UK headquarters in Bedford, Healthcare Logistics operates across the Northwest and the UK.

Phoenix
Phoenix Healthcare Distribution is headquartered in Runcorn, Cheshire and operates 14 depots throughout the UK including two in the Northwest at Burnley and Runcorn. Phoenix offers reliable logistics services for pharmaceutical manufacturers throughout Europe and Phoenix Group is one of the top five pharmaceutical wholesalers in the world.