CHEP Australia opened what it calls a “plant of the future” upgrade in Melbourne this week.
The CHEP Derrimut Service Centre is the first of four service centres in Australia to be upgraded as part of a global plant automation strategy.
CHEP added pallet equipment to the multi-platform site, which now includes timber pallets, plastic pallets, bins, containers, crates, and automotive platforms. The new pallet equipment has the capability to condition up to 3m pallets per year and was built in Bendigo.
The 24,000 square metre facility upgrade also includes the installation of renewable energy technologies, including solar. The site also includes a new automated bin washer and an upgraded crate washer, for greater efficiency and water conservation.
Phillip Austin, president of CHEP Asia Pacific, said the upgrade would help support the growing needs of the company’s customers in a sustainable manner, with more capability and greater efficiency.
“As the industry gears up to meet the Australian government’s 2025 Sustainable Packaging Targets, customers are increasingly looking to make their supply chains more sustainable and more resilient,” Austin said.
“The first ‘plant of the future’ site, Derrimut allow growers, producers and food manufacturers within the region to deliver life’s essentials more sustainably.”
