Coles opens Australia’s first automated distribution centre in Queensland

More than 90 per cent of the stock processed at the centres will be done completely by automated systems using Witron technology.

Coles Chief Executive Officer Steven Cain has said this will make “a step-change” for workers’ safety, eliminating almost 18 million kilograms of manual handling in the supply chain each week.

Cain said it would not only improve efficiency, but also benefit the environment.

“Our new automatic distribution centres can process twice the number of cases and hold twice the number of pallets compared to one of our current distribution centres,” he said.

“The automatic distribution centres enable us to half our current total footprint, leading to a more productive and sustainable business model.”

Speaking to Today, Coles Chief Operating Officer Matt Swindle has also reassured that the new technology does not mean there will be less jobs.

“We never had more jobs in Coles. We have over 130,000 team members at the moment. It was 117,000 three years ago,” he said.

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Swindles said the new facility had created 430 jobs, but that they were more related to engineering and manufacturing than product-picking, as at other distribution centres.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said the new centre sets an example for how retailers and manufacturers can look to improve the productivity, safety and sustainability of their operations.

“As we’ve seen during the pandemic and natural disasters, resilient supply chains are essential when it comes to feeding our nation and providing Australians with essential supplies,” he said.

The Redbank centre, which is located 30km south-west of Brisbane, covers 170,000 square metres, equivalent to the size of two Suncorp Stadiums.

The new technology is Coles’ largest capital investment in its 109-year history.