Foodstuffs North Island has opened a new custom-built cross-dock transport depot and warehouse in Whangarei which the company says will service even the most remote parts of Northland.
The new $10 million facility includes dedicated docks for loading and unloading, which means more trucks can be worked on, reducing delays and offering more time for deliveries.
It also has the latest in supply chain technology with automatic gates, EV chargers, a full electric forklift fleet and laser lights for walkways.
The site currently employs 20 team members, with Melissa Chapman taking the reins as depot manager. At just 25 years old, Chapman is one of Foodstuffs’ younger site managers and says she is excited to be leading the team.
The site will be shared with Gilmours Northland to service its Northland foodservice customers with deliveries to bars, restaurants and cafes.
“A cross-dock facility is where we unload product from larger, long-distance trucks into smaller ones that are better suited to Northland’s roads and delivering to our more remote stores,” Chapman says.
“The bigger trucks are great for bringing large amounts of stock up to Northland from Foodstuffs’ main distribution centres or suppliers’ warehouses, but from an efficiency, and environmental perspective it doesn’t make sense for them to do the whole trip out to each store. So, our Northland team are responsible for that last part of the distribution process as they’re closer to the community stores,” she says.
Foodstuffs North Island is a cooperative of 350 local grocers who own and operate New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores in hundreds of communities around the North Island – including 33 stores across the Northland region.
New Zealand’s northernmost supermarket is the Four Square in Houhora – the last place for tourists to stop for groceries before the 55-minute drive to the tip of the North Island, and a critical supply of groceries for locals in the remote area.
Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin says the new facility means even stores as far-flung as Four Square Houhora get the same service levels as central Auckland supermarkets.
“It also means good service is maintained for the hospitality businesses in the area that are serviced by Gilmours.
“We’re proud to be investing in Northland and making sure all communities benefit from our integrated supply chain network,” he says.
Foodstuffs North Island is planning similar major refurbishments or new buildings for some of their remaining cross-dock facilities in the next year, with a full rebuild for their Hastings depot due later in 2022.
