Woolworths has celebrated the official opening of its state-of-the-art Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) in Western Sydney today.
The new Sydney RDC completes the Group’s mega Moorebank Logistics Precinct at which the Group’s recently opened National Distribution Centre (NDC) is also located.
The $1.3 billion precinct is the Group’s largest-ever single investment, with direct links to Port Botany, interstate rail and Sydney’s M5 and M7 motorways.
Woolworths said the two new distribution centres (DCs) will also take 26,000 truck movements off Australian roads each year.
The automated DCs will move food, grocery and everyday items onto shelves faster, with pallets arriving in store ‘aisle-ready’ – suited to individual store layouts – enabling speedy restocking by teams.
Together, the new facilities will move over five million cartons per week to supermarkets, with a range of 20,000 individual products.
The precinct was officially opened today by the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, Woolworths Group CEO, Amanda Bardwell and Woolworths Group Chair Scott Perkins.
“This investment is about more than just infrastructure; it is critical for our customers, our team and our future capability,” Bardwell said.
“These new facilities are a game-changer, putting products in stores more efficiently and seamlessly. From weekly specials, to festive favourites, we know we have to have it on shelves or online when customers want it.
“Behind the scenes, this investment delivers a more resilient supply chain, while the automation also significantly reduces heavy manual handling, which makes a real difference to our team members every single day.”
King said the opening is a huge milestone for the Albanese government and forms part of its $570 million commitment to building a fully integrated industrial precinct at Moorebank.
“This precinct will be capable of housing over 850,000 square metres of modern industrial warehouses, and that’s why it’s great to see such a large supplier, like Woolworths, come on board,” she said.
Both DCs have achieved a 5-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, featuring solar panels that will generate 5.3 megawatts of energy each year – equivalent to 880 households’ annual energy consumption – as well as rainwater harvesting.
In total, the two DCs cover 75,000 sqm of floor space – about five times the size of Sydney Cricket Ground.