Arnott’s Biscuits has commenced construction on a new $65 million state-of-the-art fully automated warehousing facility in Western Sydney.
In an announcement, the company declared that the new facility will streamline Arnott’s logistics and ensure its Western Sydney manufacturing operations remain competitive and positioned for growth into the future.
This major investment by Arnott’s will increase storage space from 6,000 to 28,000 pallets and will also enable Arnott’s to manage all in-bound and out-bound deliveries for New South Wales from the Huntingwood site.
The warehouse and its automation will take the Company’s total investment in its manufacturing infrastructure in Australia to over a quarter of a billion dollars over the past six years.
It’s designed to provide Arnott’s with the flexibility required to respond to changing customer and consumer needs, while driving innovation, improving quality, productivity and onsite safety.
According to Vice President Supply Chain Campbell International, Mr. Craig Funnell, the investment demonstrates Arnott’s commitment to securing the future of manufacturing in Australia by creating state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.
“This marks the next step in our ongoing commitment to innovation and future-proofing our business. Investment is a key element of Arnott’s continued success, ensuring we continue to operate effectively in a global market, while the flow-on benefits to the country of an investment of this magnitude are significant.
“For Arnott’s, manufacturing in Australia is part of our DNA. We proudly employ over 2,000 Australians and more than 99 percent of our products sold in Australia are manufactured in Australia using quality ingredients like Australian wheat. Arnott’s supports farmers and local businesses within Australia, spending $500 million each year on raw ingredients, packaging and other services,” he concluded.
Daifuku BCS has been awarded the contract to develop state-of-the-art high capacity storage solutions for the facility.
The design strategy will incorporate the construction of a contemporary automated ambient warehouse, along with the removal of the existing automation and installation of a second new temperature controlled warehouse within the existing enclosure.
“We began our engagement with the Arnott’s team in early 2018. Since then, it has been a highly collaborative process through many evolutions of the solution to get to this stage of the project; the whole team delighted to work with such a highly regarded Australian brand,” Cory Saunders, Daifuku BCS General Manager of Logistic Sales commented.
The automation component of the project will be rolled out in two phases, with the first to go live in October 2020, the second phase going live in June 2021.