New facility secured after substantial growth in parts sales
Hino Australia has officially opened its new purpose-built, 9,272 square metre parts distribution centre (PDC) in Sydney’s Horsley Park.
A significant increase in the ‘truck park’ of Hino trucks has contributed to parts sales growing 24% over the last five years, which had bought the previous PDC in Caringbah close to capacity.
“This new facility will optimise our supply chain network to provide faster service, improve inventory levels, resulting in a higher supply rate, which will ultimately support the forecasted growth of parts sales,” Hino Australia vice president product support Greg Bleasel said.
Read about Hino’s new telematics system, here
The truck-maker said it worked with a leading international storage solutions provider to design and install a storage solution that includes small parts storage, through to single and double depth pallet racking and open-faced cantilever racking.
“This new storage system will ensure we can safely store and handle current and new parts of all sizes, future-proofing the operations against new product ranges and increased volumes.”
When compared to the old facility, the floor-space in the new warehouse has doubled and there is a significant increase in the ability to handle both incoming and outgoing freight with ten loading docks versus two at the old Caringbah premises, it noted.
“We partnered with our fellow Toyota Group Company, Toyota Materials Handling, to implement new and highly innovative material handling equipment solutions, which will deliver significant improvements in productivity and safety,” Bleasel said.
Further enhancements include moving the racking from eight to six metres in height to improve safety and visibility, resulting in better productivity.
In addition, a purpose-built collection area for drivers and customers includes a waiting area, kitchen and bathroom facilities.
The new PDC is also targeting a 5 Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) with important sustainability features such as:
- a 30 kW solar system that can generate up to 82 mW a year, which is calculated to offset a portion of the power consumption
- a 40kL rainwater tank to capture and re-use rainwater within toilets, urinals and landscaping irrigation
- energy-efficient LED lighting with timers and motion sensors through the warehouse and office spaces coupled with the use of translucent roof sheeting to provide maximum internal light
- water-efficient fixtures and fittings (tapware and toilet suites), and native plantings to reduce water demand.
According to Hino, compared to a standard practice building, the Green Star development in which the PDC is located is expected to reduce water demand and peak energy demand significantly.
“This investment will allow Hino and our dealer network to meet the forecast future business expansion and meet the growing needs of our customers,” Bleasel said.
The new PDC is within the established industrial areas of Horsley Park and Eastern Creek with easy access to key transport routes.