Dexion and Maersk build flexibility into Ruakura’s 3PL future
When Maersk needed to build storage for an enormous 3PL coolstore in Waikato, Dexion found itself with a project full of unique requests from a company new to 3PL. But as Dexion’s Jeff Darby tells FTD, it not only managed to deliver solutions but positioned Maersk for the future.
Maersk was already well represented in freight and container movements in New Zealand and a global player in freight forwarding. It was moving beyond freight into end-to-end supply chain management to include warehousing, inventory, fulfilment and inland distribution for its customers.
The 18,000 square metre state-of-the-art integrated cold chain facility at the Ruakura Superhub would be Maersk’s biggest infrastructure investment in the country and the company turned to Dexion, described as a trusted and established name in warehousing solutions to partner with.
Conversations began in 2021, and the project went live in 2024 after construction through most of 2023. It was to be a partnership that delivered multiple challenges for Dexion, and through close collaboration with Maersk, the end result was an efficient and future-proofed facility for Maersk.
“A lot of work happened before we even started building,” Jeff Darby says.
Dexion’s approach is customising smart solutions for warehouse management that streamline and optimise. But with Maersk not able to provide specific information about its customers, Dexion had to deliver cold room solutions with minimal information.
Close collaboration was key.
“Dexion were great to work with right from the start. While confidentiality with our clients meant we couldn’t share all the information Dexion would typically require, they were able to understand our needs and scope a solution that works extremely well for us,” says Tom Rusher, site manager for the Maersk Ruakura facility.
The size alone made it a very significant undertaking – the warehouse has four cold rooms that Dexion had to design systems for.
That early engagement was to be critical in what would be a unique project in many respects.
“We worked through a few scenarios and landed on a blend of predominantly double-deep and selective racking. Three of the four rooms have double-deep racking, which means you access the immediate pallet directly and then reach through to the rack behind.
“It requires specialised MHE but you can condense storage and maximise space and efficiency.”
The fourth and largest room has mostly HDS shuttle racking with a small amount of selective racking.
HDS shuttle racking was the obvious choice for its ability to enable efficient pallet flow and stock management flexibility. It provides excellent use of space providing high density storage configured to optimise the space and designed to be scalable to grow with the business. For this warehouse, Dexion supplied eight HDS shuttle units.
The final outcome looks different from what Maersk had envisaged too.
“The facility needed to be flexible to allow for different industries. As you can imagine, if you are paying for a facility to be controlled in terms of temperature you are paying a lot of money so you want to use as much space as you possibly can.”
It’s a delicate balance, Darby says. Over-optimising can also impede the operations of the business – causing bottlenecks in accessing pallets.
Darby says Maersk relied on Dexion to help it understand what to expect in New Zealand especially when it came to racking safety and compliance. For example, racking systems must be engineered to meet strict seismic requirements.
“New Zealand has some of the highest and most stringent seismic design requirements in the world so our expertise and advice in this area was incredibly valuable.”
Darby says he believes Maersk chose to partner Dexion for its knowledge and the fact the company makes its own products, customising solutions from an extensive range so the client gets what they need.
“We don’t just buy off someone – we work with the customer to make sure they are getting what is best for their operation. We give good advice based on 80 years of being in this industry in New Zealand.”
Dexion drew up the client’s initial brief and quickly saw opportunities to maximise the investment further in terms of not just space, but throughput and overall productivity.
“We knew they needed flexibility in their racking, so we gave them a few options and they ended up spending less than they were initially planning.”
A year into operation Maersk is not only pleased with the Ruakura facility but has earmarked it as a benchmark for its global operation – a recognition Dexion is proud to have been part of.
Rusher confirms the reliability and durability of the system.
“The quality of the Dexion product and installation workmanship is excellent. It stands up to the hash rigors of the day-to-day operations with ease.”
Designing for possibilities rather than absolutes was the project’s point of difference, but extensive 3PL knowledge and experience in the industry carried it through. It was a project with significant challenges but one Dexion wouldn’t hesitate to repeat.
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