Dock and Port Facilities

BBS Sky coming into Rye Harbour

Long Rake Spar is the largest importer of specialised decorative aggregates in the UK and operates from multiple sites UK wide; including three production sites and a further four dock site locations.

Several of these imported products are procured under exclusive supply agreements. In order to ensure sufficient stock holding for our UK customers, and that of our partners overseas, we currently hold in excess of 100,000 tonnes of our imported products and have increased stock holding to in excess of £9 million across the group. The ability to be fully in control of the supply chain is a fundamental part of the long-term strategy at Long Rake Spar and this has put us significantly ahead of many competitors, who are wholly reliant on buying through UK intermediaries / distributors.

We source a selection of our imported products by road via bulk tippers, from various European locations. Large volume, core products are imported by sea in bulk shipments of between 2,000-5,000 tonnes per consignment.

Our main dock facility is situated at Gunness Wharf where we currently ship in excess of 40,000 tonnes annually. There is £4.6 million pounds worth of investment underway at Garston Docks, Liverpool and further investment underway at Rosyth Docks, Scotland to provide additional infrastructure and a strategic base for the storage of bulk raw materials. 

At our Rye Harbour site there are new warehouses under construction for the storage of dry materials, increasing industrial mineral capacity. These warehouses will have solar panels installed, which will contribute power to the South East. Also being only 15km from the channel tunnel makes the Rye Harbour site a key location for import and export of goods to the continent and beyond.

The facilities at Garston Docks are being enhanced and specifically tailored to the operations at Long Rake Spar and include the addition of thirty external concrete storage bays and the building of a new 35,000 ft2 warehouse. This improvement in facilities allows us to bring in an additional 60,000 tonnes of decorative aggregates through Garston Docks alone. Garston Docks is a key strategic site for Long Rake Spar, as not only does this location give us the ability to bring in and store aggregates, but also allows us to meet the demands of the industrial minerals and powder market with tailored new facilities nearby. This includes tanker loading facilities and a further Warehouse, capable of storing 5,000 tonnes of product undercover.

Ship unloading in Scotland

Similarly our products can be bulk shipped to customers overseas, supplied to European destinations via road in loose tipper loads or palletised and delivered by container loads to any worldwide location. New infrastructure has also been put in place within the company, which has tripled the capacity to produce finished products; with new plant and machinery at our existing plants and Garston Dock, as well as extended working hours, all contributing to help with this increased demand.

Long Rake Spar continuously looks towards the company’s future success as the leading supplier of specialist decorative aggregates. Identifying strategic dock facilities to serve the needs of the company has been key to securing this success.

Lady Ariette Malaga 2017