Construction is under way on a new state-of-the-art fully automated freezer at Foodstuffs South Island’s Hornby Distribution Centre, designed with the latest technology and sustainability in mind.
The grocery co-op is investing $27m into the freezer expansion to help meet increased demand for frozen goods among customers across the South Island and provide additional storage space for supplier partners to stock their products.
Designed and delivered by construction partner Apollo Projects, the facility will be the newest automated freezer warehouse in the South Island when it opens in September 2025.
The expansion will supplement the existing Temperature Controlled Distribution Centre, which will continue to operate as normal during construction, adding another 2,587sqm of freezer space at the Hornby site on completion.
Foodstuffs South Island General Manager Supply Chain, Kris Lancaster, says the freezer expansion has been driven by growing demand for frozen products among customers over the past five years, and a shortage of capacity for storing frozen products across the South Island.
“We’ve made a significant $27m investment into the construction of our new, fully automated freezer facility at Hornby DC to meet the increase in demand for frozen goods across our stores in the South Island,” Lancaster says.
“Part of Foodstuffs South Island’s purpose is to feed the South Island and support our communities, and we’ve been able to invest at the right time to deliver an innovative new facility that will help us to achieve this while also delivering operational efficiency and sustainability,” Lancaster says.
“With the growing number of customers turning towards frozen products that provide both quality and value, it also gives us the opportunity to provide our supplier partners with more space to store their products, so the facility will not only streamline our operations but also provide our partners with an even better level of service and reliability.”
The freezer will feature an innovative Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) using fully automated crane and shuttle technology to store frozen products more efficiently and reduce carbon emissions.
It’ll also include innovative hypoxic fire prevention technology to maintain a low oxygen environment and prevent fire. This fire prevention technology is commonly used around the world instead of sprinkler systems and is now being used in buildings across New Zealand and Canterbury to reduce the risk of water damage to stock and equipment.
“Our freezer expansion will significantly boost our capacity to meet the growing demands of our customers and supplier partners. We’re looking forward to seeing the multiple benefits our investment will deliver to the wider South Island community,” Lancaster says.
FAST FACTS
• $27m investment into boosting South Island distribution centre freezer capacity.
• 2,587sqm site; 17.2m high; 6,240 pallet locations
• Automatic Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS): automated crane and shuttle technology to handle storage and retrieval of frozen products more efficiently, reducing the need for manual labour, meaning no risk of injury to team members.
• Enhanced energy efficiency: for a lower carbon footprint, including 180kW solar panels, estimated to reduce carbon emissions by ~200 tonnes over 10 years, high racking for dense storage, and fewer truck movements across the supply chain network due to better onsite storage capacity.
• Innovative fire safety technology: a hypoxic fire suppression system, which maintains a low oxygen environment to prevent fires, rather than using sprinklers to extinguish fires. Also reduces risk of water damage to equipment and stock.
