New 20,000sqm VIC facility for Simplot Australia

Agricultural business Simplot Australia has committed to a new facility in Truganina, a 20,725m² site with an additional 5,156m² of super-canopy.
Simplot Australia owns Australian brands such as Birds Eye, Leggo’s, Chiko and Edgell, John West and Lean Cuisine, and distributes its products to supermarkets and foodservice outlets across Australia.
The company used the back-to-back expiry of both a third-party logistics (3PL) operating agreement and a property lease to review its mid- to long-term operational strategy, with design help from consultancy TM Insight and construction carried out by property group Dexus.
“From the outset, we worked with Simplot to design the internal and external operations with efficiency and flexibility of primary importance,” said Milan Andjelkovic, Director, TM Insight. “The end result will see Simplot implement various types of automation which will reduce order to delivery timeframes and substantially increase operational efficiencies and accuracies for Simplot’s customers.”
Chris Mackenzie, Head of Industrial Developments, Dexus, added, “This new facility will set a precedent for integrated supply chain and property outcomes in Australia with the customer, developer and experts working together to produce significant operational savings for the customer.”
The facility will be operational in the first quarter of 2018 and will have an end value of approximately $25 million.