Logistics News

Flurry of facility developments for transport heavyweights

ACFS, Toll, Mainfreight and Komatsu spotlight recent progress

 

Indicating a healthy level of activity across various sectors, some of the biggest players in transport, logistics and equipment in Australia are showing off their recent warehousing moves.

ACFS Port Logistics – Melbourne

Port logistics and container transport firm ACFS’s ongoing Melbourne super-site is nearing completion.

“ACFS Port Logistics brand new and state of the facility in Altona is raring to go,” the company says.

“With the final touches being completed, the site is officially opening and operating.

“It is expected that the new facility will have over 1,000 TEU [twenty-foot equivalent unit] of containers onsite within seven days, with capacity for at least another 2,000 TEU.”

The key features of this facility are:

  • 25,000 sq m of warehouse space with five rear loading docks, super awning for undercover loading/unloading, and capacity to unpack over 100 containers per day
  • In-rack sprinklers for DG, in addition to single select racking. (Over 25,000 + pallet capacity
  • 33,000 sq m hardstand (3,000TEU capacity for FCL storage)
  • 50 reefer points for storage of reefer containers
  • Customs bonded and quarantine approved
  • Adjacent to the Melbourne-Geelong Freight Rail Corridor
  • Access to the West Gate Freeway and Western Ring Road on high-performance vehicles from the ACFS Port of Melbourne facility
  • adjoining with the Maersk empty depot.

 

Toll – Melbourne 

Even as mainstream media reports Toll is looking to offload its Global Express division amid ongoing operational turbulence, it is still pushing on with local developments.

Toll has moved its Melbourne operations from  Clayton into a brand-new developed facility in the Braeside Industrial Estate.

The new facility, located in the central logistics hub, is only four kilometres from the Dandenong Bypass and provides a strategic linehaul staging hub for South East Melbourne customers, Toll notes.

“Our new Braeside facility has over 35 per cent more under roof space allowing us to continue to grow and meet the future needs of our customers supported by our 35-strong team,” executive general manager palletised express Kris Talevski says.

“This facility has also been designed to meet the 5-star Green Star rating helping to reduce our impact on the environment.”

Particularly spruiking its green credentials, the site features:

  • energy-efficient LED high bay lighting to warehouse and LED lighting to office areas, including light/motion sensors and control system 
  • energy and water metering and monitoring 
  • rainwater storage tank connected to a landscape irrigation system and main office amenities for WC flushing 
  • the ability to draw from the 100kW solar PV system to be shared among tenants saving approximately 6kWh/sqm. 

It also includes:

  • B-double access 
  • 32m wide propped awning and 15m wide cantilevered awning above on-grade doors and recessed container docks with levellers
  • 450 sq m modern office space.

 

Mainfreight – Tamworth

New Zealand firm Mainfreight is hailing the opening of a Tamworth site, complementing recent activity in Sydney and Melbourne.

“Committed to improving transit times and delivery quality for our customers; we are opening more branches, in more locations, Australia wide,” a company statement says.

“This year we have opened new warehouses in Melbourne and Sydney, a second transport depot in Sydney and now a new regional transport branch in Tamworth, NSW.”

The new facility comprises: 

  • 1,940m2 of depot space
  • Drive through access for B-doubles and other large vehicles
  • Safe customer collection points
  • 24/7 video surveillance and security systems
  • Warehousing space available for short term storage

The new location provides Mainfreight Owner Drivers with multiple freight pick-up and delivery locations to customers in the Central West and North West, New South Wales regions.

“Our local team of 5 (and growing) will be based in Tamworth loading and unloading freight and available to take customer service and sales enquiries,” the company says.

“Our customers and receivers in the region will benefit from less handling and faster more efficient transport deliveries.

Komatsu – Brisbane

Elewhere, in the earthmoving sector, Japanese equipment manufacturer Komatsu will have a new distribution centre in Wacol, which is scheduled to be completed by May 2021

The new site will be for “improving parts and components availability, further reduce order turnaround times and streamline ordering efficiency, will be opened by Komatsu in the second quarter of 2021”.

Being constructed on a 3.8 ha site adjacent to its existing Queensland head office, service, training and customer support facility, the new DC covers nearly 17,000 sq m, with an order picking storage area of just under 14,500 sq m, and an extra large parts/components storage area of over 2000 sq m.

According to Komatsu general manager – supply chain Russell Hodson, the key driver of the new facility is to improve customer satisfaction across its Queensland, New Zealand and New Caledonia operations.

“Customers in these regions – which includes large mining customers – are currently serviced from our various Brisbane facilities, and by consolidating them into a single operation, we anticipate a marked improvement in customer satisfaction,” he says.

“The new facility will also be much safer for Komatsu employees and service providers, making use of the latest warehousing technology and systems, including anti-collision systems and full worker Komatsu will also see some significant efficiency and cost benefits through consolidation to a single facility, maximised space utilisation, and lower transport costs.

“We’re also going to in-source our warehousing operations so all staff will be Komatsu employees, which will better enable us to continue our ongoing program of continuous improvement.

“At this new facility, we’ll employing 50 new people into Komatsu; we see this as a great opportunity to build a fantastic team that can deliver extraordinary results for our customers in a new and exciting facility.”

 

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