TNT Express Australia is building a new major logistics hub in Melbourne near TullamarineAirport to increase considerably its regional sorting capacity in response to growing demand.
The 38,000 sqm facility, which is big enough to house more than five soccer pitches, is expectedto become the largest transport and logistics ‘super hub’ in TNT’s global network. It occupiesnearly a third of the 121,000 sqm site near Melbourne Airport and is due to be completed in July2015.
The hub will feature an automated parcel sorting system with the capacity to process up to18,500 parcels per hour, a 60% increase on TNT’s current capacity in Melbourne.
The new depot will be open for business in September 2015 to operate as the company’s headoffice in the state of Victoria, south-eastern Australia, serving at the same time as a hub forother TNT depots in regional Victoria and Tasmania. In addition, it will include a call centreemploying more than 50 people.
TNT’s current Melbourne depots at Tullamarine, Laverton North and Campbellfield will beintegrated into the new facility by October 2015. The local depot in Hallam will remain as anintegral part of the network linked with the new Tullamarine facility to improve service in theeastern area.
Rod Barnes, TNT Australia’s Regional Director, Southern Region, said the new facility representsa significant investment in the local area. “The equipment at our main TNT Melbourne facility atLaverton has all but reached capacity, and with continued growth in demand, we knew we wouldn’t beable to maintain the high level of service our customers expect without making this investment.
“This brought about a step-change in thinking about how a facility should be set up to serve ourcustomers’ changing needs, brought about by the growth in e-commerce and a shift to lighter weight,higher volume consignments. The new Tullamarine depot is being purpose-built to address thesechanges and capacity constraints, and we expect it will meet TNT’s projected needs for at least thenext 15 years,” he said.
“The new technology will improve operational efficiencies and create a safer working environmentby reducing our employees’ exposure to manual processes. With the removal of current capacityconstraints, TNT will be better able to provide domestic and global express freight services ingrowth sectors like health, high value manufacturing, government and defence, and IT andtechnology. This facility will also assist TNT in reaching its goal of significantly reducing itscarbon footprint,” Barnes concluded.
The new depot is part of TNT’s broader investment in its operations around Australia, includingthe creation of new ‘super hubs’ in Sydney and Brisbane, which will also be completed during2015.
