NewCold cold store facility in Victoria to be expanded

Netherlands-based cold chain logistics company NewCold is investing a further $160 million in its Victorian facility, bringing its total investment in Victoria to $460 million.

The facility will be more than double the size of its Melbourne 2 facility. At 43 m high, the site will expand from 115,000 pallet positions to 225,000, an increase of 110,000 pallets. The extension will include 30,000 for ambient/chilled and 85,000 pallet positions for frozen goods.

Mobilisation and construction activities started at the end of May 2021 and the expanded facility is scheduled to be operational in 2022.

NewCold also announced a new partnership with Simplot Australia, which is planning to transition all of its frozen products to the Melbourne facility in 2023.

Simplot Australia Managing Director Graham Dugdale said: “Simplot is excited to be partnering with NewCold on our future Victorian frozen warehouse solution. We were attracted to Newcold’s fully automated AS/RS high bay solution, world-class systems, energy efficiency and productivity, which stand above conventional cold storage solutions.”

The Melbourne cold storage facility will use an automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) to automatically move and store products in the high-bay warehouse. The equipment and operators will be directed by NewCold’s software systems to ensure products are kept in optimal conditions. The solution is also designed to ensure that processes are sustainable, traceable and fully integrated with customers’ processes.

Abhy Maharaj, Executive VP, NewCold Business & Growth, said: “Collaborating with respected partners like Simplot drives our success, as we share an ambition to transform the industry and reimagine the global food supply chain.”

Image caption: NewCold Melbourne 2 facility