Logistics company sees progress at Minto and Moorebank
Qube Holdings has hailed the opening of the NSW distribution centre for Mazda Australia at the Minto intermodal hub in south-west Sydney.
Qube is hanging out the ‘no- vacancy’ sign at the newly opened $25 million facility on Culverston Road creates zero at the 30 hectare site that also incorporates Ceva Logistics,
Dial a Tow and Prix Car as key tenants.
Mazda Australia committed to a 107,000 square metre facility with Qube.
There is approximately 74,000sqm under hail-nets and 4,000sqm under roof providing secure space for 3,200 cars.
“The estate at Minto offers Mazda a strategic location with superior access to motorway connections including the M5, M7 and Hume Highway Qube has invested in this site to meet requirements of the car import, storage and distribution market,” Qube infrastructure and property director Greg Pauline says
The news come not long after the logistics giant says it has signed a deal with Kalmar and Navis, part of the Finnish freight equipment supplier Cargotec, for machinery and software for the first stage of automation of the Moorebank Logistics Park (MLP).
Kalmar will begin delivery of its latest technology cranes and autoshuttles in the second half of next year, with fully automated operations expected to be established across the Moorebank facility by 2022.
The procurement agreement is worth approximately $125 million with progressive payments over the delivery period.
Kalmar will supply automated stacking cranes, rail mounted gantry cranes, a fleet of low-emission hybrid autoshuttles and the computer software to handle all containerised freight on the site.
The staged delivery and commissioning of Kalmar’s OneTerminal solution technology will see it become the first fully automated intermodal terminal for containerised freight in the world, Qube states.
At full capacity, the Moorebank intermodal facility will handle more than one million TEU of freight to and from Port Botany by rail instead of road, taking thousands of truck trips off Sydney’s road network every day.
The company sees the Kalmar agreement as a milestone in its ambition to transform the handling of containerised freight in Australia.
“We have said many times that Moorebank is a game changer for the import-export supply chain and signing this contract with Kalmar is a critically important step towards achieving that goal,” Qube MD Maurice James says.
“The efficiencies and reliability we can offer to our customers along with the productivity and safety benefits that come with this technology are enormous.
“It is pleasing to be partnering with the world leaders in the cargo handling automation to deliver what is also a world first for the containerised freight industry.”
Procurement of the latest low-emission automated technology aligns with Qube’s existing commitments to significantly reduce carbon emissions under a loan facility with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
“Through the incorporation of low emission automated equipment, renewable energy sources on site, and removing thousands of truck trips daily from the road network, the Moorebank Logistics Park is expected to reduce emissions by 110,000 tCO2e per annum.” Qube says.