Coles opens automated distribution centre in Western Sydney

Coles has opened its second automated distribution centre (ADC) using Witron technology. The Kemps Creek ADC was officially opened 6 August by Coles Group Chairman James Graham and Coles Group CEO Leah Weckert.

Located 40 km west of the Sydney CBD, the ADC has been designed to provide better availability for customers and create safer, more efficient outcomes for team members and suppliers.

The site spans 187,000 square metres, which is the equivalent size of around 25 rugby league fields, with a building size of 66,000 square metres.

Once operating at full capacity, the Kemps Creek facility will service 229 New South Wales and ACT stores, with the site able to process more than four million cartons per week, the equivalent of 32 million products sold in stores.

The opening comes as the grocery company steps up its investment into the state of NSW with the company also investing in its MilkCo facility at Erskine Park and online customer fulfilment centre at Wetherill Park.

This is the second of two Witron facilities Coles has opened — the first ADC opened in Redbank, Queensland, in May last year and has since processed more than 140 million cartons.

Kemps Creek and Redbank ADCs form the two parts of a $1 billion-plus investment in technology-led innovation for a more efficient, sustainable and safer supply chain.

Coles is also investing around $400 million across two online customer fulfilment centres, one in Wetherill Park, NSW, and the other in Truganina, Vic.

“Today marks a key milestone on our roadmap to enhance our supply chain and improve our operating efficiency, with a world-class facility that will deliver improved availability for our NSW customers,” Weckert said.

“We have seen great improvements in availability for our customers in Queensland and Northern New South Wales following the opening of Redbank ADC in Queensland last year — and I’m excited to see this second ADC bring these same benefits to NSW.” 

The Kemps Creek ADC is fitted with a 3.5-megawatt solar solution on the roof, which is among the largest rooftop solar solution in the Coles network, with the Coles Group to be powered by 100% renewable energy by the end of FY25. To minimise food waste, edible food that can’t be processed will be donated to Coles’ community partners Foodbank and SecondBite.

Coles thanked its building partners and consultants from Goodman Group, Richard Crookes Constructions and TMX for developing, building and managing the complex building project to completion.

Image caption: L-R Witron Technical CEO Johannes Meissner, Coles CEO Leah Weckert, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Coles Chairman James Graham. Image credit: Coles.