Page 27 - Food&Drink Magazine October 2018

MAIN: Woolworth's new distribution centre houses nearly 70-thousand square metres of warehouse and corporate space.
Around 14km of high-speed conveyors designed by Dutch company Vanderlande have been installed, as well as 50 robots which have been supplied by ABB.
This will enable the picking of cartons off shelves and onto pallets and trucks in optimum order and in the right sequence for specific aisles in specific supermarkets, cutting labour costs and improving product availability on shelf.
It also means the retailer’s product ranges can also be tweaked to suit different stores’ demographics, and it can boost the number of SKUs it carries to cater to changing consumer tastes and demand for specialty foods.
Because of the automation enabled by the robots and conveyors,themixofemployees
at the facility will change, with almost as many engineers and technical staff to be employed on site as materials handling staff.
The Dandenong distribution centre has also been equipped with Australia’s largest roof-top solar installation and that will see Woolworths reap the benefit of energy savings over the long-term
Uninterrupted power connectivity includes automatic UPS backup, and an onsite generator allows the facility to operate off the grid even in the event of power failures.
Constructing a facility of this size and stature required the creation of unique installation techniques, according to Vaughan Construction. Due to the sheer height of the highbay, forinstance,sprinkler
installation differed significantly to the majority of warehouses completed nationally.
After three months of planning and development with its contractors, a safe and inventive solution was devised combining the use of swing stages with boom and scissor lifts, the construction company says.
“Vaughan is proud to partner with Woolworths to once again support supply chain expansions and operational efficiency improvements, furthering their national growth,’’ Vaughan Constructions managing director Andrew Noble said.
The project was completed three months ahead of the contracted delivery date and is due to start operating in February after months of testing. ✷
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The Dandenong distribution centre includes Australia’s largest roof-top solar installation.
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www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | October 2018 | Food&Drink business | 27