Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional and Rural Development, Peter Ryan today officially opened a new $40 million national warehouse built by Linfox for beverage giant Lion Dairy & Drinks.
Mr Ryan said the new national warehouse at Laverton in Melbourne is the largest Linfox cold store site in the Asia Pacific region.
“The facility is ideally located within close proximity to existing freight networks and customers, with sufficient land still available for further development,” Mr Ryan said.
Mr Ryan said the investment in the technically advanced facility provided new infrastructure that would support Victorian industry.
“Victoria produces more than 60 per cent of Australia’s milk and the creation of efficient links from the farm to the marketplace is a vital part of strengthening and growing the sector,” Mr Ryan said.
“The warehouse provides an all-chilled 28,000 square metre facility that will support the national distribution of products such as cheeses, milk, yoghurts, fruit juices and more.”
Linfox Chairman Peter Fox said that the company worked closely with Lion to plan the most efficient national supply chain network for the beverage company’s product range.
“It’s crucial to invest in leading-edge technology and provide customers with ongoing cost efficiencies in an intensely competitive and uncertain consumer market,” Peter Fox said.
“The warehouse was designed with a 15-year window in mind but also allows for flexibility to accommodate changes in technology and in market structure.”
With the environment in mind, the structure was built to efficiently maintain a 2oC - 4oC temperature and its massive roof harvests rainwater for the site’s refrigeration and plumbing systems.
One hundred and thirty people operate the warehouse with Linfox’s Linehaul fleet distributing Lion’s famous brands, such as Dairy Farmers, South Cape, Yoplait, Mil Lel Cheese, Cracker Barrel, King Island and Coon, across Australia.