Tuesday, November 20, 2012

New Logistics Centre for Traditional Freight Forwarder

Fifth NSW Distribution Hub for Schenker
Shipping News Feature

AUSTRALIA – DB Schenker in Australia is now looking back on fifty years of successful development having grown from a small office for air and ocean freight to one of the country’s leading providers of integrated logistics services and the group’s success has been marked with a recently established new logistics warehouse and operations centre in Greater Western Sydney. The Erskine Park Distribution Centre was officially opened on the 15th November by New South Wales Premier and Minister for Western Sydney, Barry O’Farrell, and Dr Thomas Lieb, Chairman and CEO of Schenker AG. The facility employs 80 people and is the freight and logistics company’s sixteenth facility in Australia and, for Schenker Australia Pty Limited, the fifth distribution hub in New South Wales. Dr Lieb said:

“Erskine Park forms a vital link in our global chain and the opening marks an important step in our strategy of expanding our Contract Logistics footprint in Australia. In Australia, we deliver almost half a million items each year and many of them will pass through Greater Western Sydney.”

The 21,000 square metre shared logistics centre has been designed specifically for key customers and will hold close to 20,000 pallet positions. Erskine Park concentrates on sustainability with substantial timber pallet, cardboard, paper and plastic recycling operations as well as a fleet of electric forklifts and trolleys. It includes plug and play technologies for different systems and for different customers backed up with DB Schenker’s own warehouse management system to ensure flexibility. Ron Koehler, CEO Schenker Australia Pty Limited added:

“Moving into a green-field site means we’ve been able to place maximum emphasis on employee safety and best practice in processes.”

DB Schenker is using the ‘Pick by Voice’ technology which is being implemented to ensure better and efficient storage as well as reduced products handling, leading to less order fulfilment time and costs for the customers.