Solutions ‘powering the future’ of warehousing in New Zealand
Labour constraints, rising land costs and the continued growth of e-commerce are reshaping supply chains across New Zealand. From food and grocery to fashion, general merchandise and industrial distribution, organisations are under pressure to deliver faster, more accurate and more reliable fulfilment. At the same time, they must do so in an environment where capital discipline, flexibility and long-term resilience matter more than ever.
As a result, automation is no longer viewed as a one-off transformation tied only to new buildings says Katie Budd, sales manager at Vanderlande. Instead, it is increasingly seen as a capability that must support both greenfield developments and brownfield upgrades, allowing businesses to scale and adapt over time.
At the centre of this shift sits sortation technology, says Budd. Once associated primarily with large, purpose-built distribution centres, sortation is now recognised as a highly flexible foundation for modern warehouse operations across a wide range of site types and maturity levels.
“Sortation plays a vital role in helping organisations manage growth and complexity. It supports batch picking, cross-docking and outbound dispatch, and it can operate as a standalone solution or as part of a broader automated ecosystem. That flexibility is especially important in New Zealand, where some customers are building new facilities while others need to modernise existing ones without disrupting operations.”
Designed for both greenfield and brownfield realities
New Zealand’s logistics landscape presents a dual challenge. On one hand, new distribution centres are being developed to support long-term growth and network redesign. On the other, many organisations operate established facilities that must continue running while being upgraded. Both scenarios require different approaches, yet benefit from the same underlying principle: modular, scalable automation.
For brownfield sites, sortation provides a practical way to lift performance without a full rebuild. Systems can be integrated into existing layouts, connected to current warehouse management systems and deployed in phases, allowing operations to improve throughput and accuracy while remaining live.
For greenfield developments, sortation provides a strong foundation on which future automation can be layered. Starting with a flexible sorter allows operators to design facilities that can expand over time, rather than locking into a fixed configuration from day one.
This dual suitability makes sortation attractive not only to retailers and manufacturers operating their own warehouses, but also to 3PLs managing diverse customer portfolios with varying volumes and service requirements.
Flexible technology that grows with demand
Vanderlande offers a portfolio of sorter technologies designed to support both staged brownfield upgrades and long-term greenfield strategies.
Vanderlande’s sorter portfolio provide flexible, high-performance sortation for a wide range of products, from cartons and parcels to fragile items. Their modular, compact designs support both brownfield and greenfield sites, enabling scalable growth. Engineered for durability, safety and energy efficiency, they deliver reliable long-term performance across diverse operational environments.
Delivering value through staged investment
Sortation delivers benefits that extend beyond throughput. By streamlining picking, packing and dispatch processes, organisations can reduce labour dependency, improve accuracy and make better use of available space.
Roald de Groot, sales director for warehousing ANZ at Vanderlande adds that financial returns often come sooner than expected.
“Automation is sometimes viewed as a long-term investment, but in practice many customers achieve payback within two to four years. In some cases it is even faster, driven by labour savings, improved accuracy and better utilisation of existing infrastructure.”
Crucially, Vanderlande’s approach allows capacity to be added progressively. Additional chutes, higher sorter speeds or further automation layers can be introduced over time, enabling organisations to align investment with growth and demand rather than committing upfront to oversized systems.
Supporting a wide range of operating models
Vanderlande’s sortation solutions support independent organisations running their own distribution centres as well as 3PLs operating complex, multi-client environments. This flexibility enables businesses to future-proof their operations while retaining control over how and when they scale.
Local service and support are central to this approach. Vanderlande’s regional teams provide ongoing maintenance, optimisation and technical expertise, ensuring systems continue to perform reliably throughout their lifecycle.
“Sortation is not just about keeping up with demand,” De Groot says. “It is about building operations that can adapt, scale and perform over time. With the right technology, strong integration and local support, New Zealand organisations can move forward with confidence in an increasingly demanding market.”
Sponsored Content: For more information visit www.vanderlande.com/warehousing/systems.