AUSTRALIA | ALDI has invested in a new automated distribution centre in Western Sydney, representing a combined investment of more than AUD one billion.
Now under construction at Bradfield, the Sydney Automated Distribution Centre will double warehouse capacity in NSW, allowing it to handle more than 680,000 product cases a day at peak and 2.5 million pallets a year, up to 30 percent more than today.
Scheduled to open in 2030, the centre will replace ALDI’s existing distribution facilities at Minchinbury, Prestons and Eastern Creek.
Once operational, it will supply ALDI stores across NSW and the ACT, with capacity designed to meet forecast demand through to at least the mid-2040s.
A similar facility is also under construction in Tarneit in Victoria, to service the state and take ALDI’s total investment in Automated Distribution Centres to more than AUD 2.5 billion.
For shoppers, the investment will help ALDI deliver great-quality products at the lowest possible prices to more Australians.
The state-of-the-art distribution centre is an integral part of ALDI’s ongoing investment in logistics and supply chain capability
The facility has been designed to improve supply chain efficiency, support future store network expansion and enable more efficient distribution across NSW. It will also help maintain the low-cost operating model that drives ALDI’s Price Promise to shoppers.
The Bradfield ADC is the only supermarket distribution centre to feature a dedicated automation sub-system across multiple temperature-controlled environments.
ALDI Australia’s CEO, Anna McGrath, said that ALDI has always taken a long-term view of the investment in Australia. The automated distribution centre in Bradfield will support growth ambitions, as ALDI add approximately 100 additional stores. This will help ALDI bring a great-quality, low-price offer to more Australian communities.
“Our enduring commitment to our customers is that we will not be beaten on the cost of their weekly shop,” said McGrath.
“We are investing in technology, automation and more sustainable infrastructure that will enable us to keep delivering on that promise in the future.”
ALDI has partnered with Richard Crookes Constructions to deliver the facility, built on a 22-hectare site with 108,000 square metres of floor space, equivalent to more than 18 Sydney Opera Houses combined.
The centre will also mark the first major development within Ingham Property Group’s broader 182-hectare industrial estate and is one of the first major logistics projects associated with the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, expecting to add over 3,000 construction jobs and more than 500 ongoing operational roles once it is running.
The new centre will incorporate advanced robotics technology, with 80 percent of operations expected to be automated, including storage and retrieval systems that will help manage inventory and move products through the facility.
By investing in automation, logistics and distribution infrastructure, ALDI is building the capability to support more stores, improve efficiency across NSW and maintain the low-cost model that makes its Price Promise possible.
More global news here
