NZ Safety Blackwoods has opened a new distribution centre at Drury South, creating a single national hub designed to improve how safety, engineering and workplace products are supplied across New Zealand.
The facility, officially opened in March, consolidates five existing distribution centres into one purpose-built operation intended to improve order accuracy, reduce delivery complexity and speed up dispatch times for customers nationwide.
Located at Drury South Crossing, the nearly 18,000-square-metre site combines automation, high-density storage and streamlined processes to manage the company’s large product range more efficiently.
At the centre of the operation is an AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system supplied by Kardex. The system enables products to be presented to staff rapidly during peak periods and allows a single team member to pick hundreds of product lines per hour. Orders can be prepared within minutes, helping reduce delays for customers needing critical equipment on site.
NZ Safety Blackwoods head of operations Chris Mason says the new centre has been designed to support the increasing expectations customers have around delivery speed and reliability.
“Customers rely on us for products that are fundamental to safety and productivity,” Mason says. “When something is missing or delayed, work can stop. This facility is about improving reliability and ensuring products move through our network quickly and accurately.”
The distribution centre can support more than 100,000 product lines across the company’s range. High-density storage plays an important role, with 38,000 storage totes capable of holding multiple product lines within a relatively compact footprint.
By consolidating distribution into a single location, NZ Safety Blackwoods says it can reduce internal handling, simplify deliveries and provide more consistent access to products used in construction, manufacturing, infrastructure and other industries.
General manager Andy Antoci says the project represents a long-term investment in strengthening the company’s national supply chain.
“For more than 100 years we have supported New Zealand businesses with the products they rely on every day,” Antoci says. “This facility reflects both the scale of our operations and the need to ensure customers can access essential products without disruption.”
Safety and sustainability were also key considerations in the design of the facility. Automation reduces the need for repetitive manual handling tasks, while the layout separates people from mobile plant and machinery zones.
The building also incorporates sustainability features including solar energy generation, rainwater harvesting, daylight harvesting through roof sheeting and energy monitoring systems.
The Drury South site was developed in partnership with property and construction firm Calder Stewart and represents a significant addition to New Zealand’s modern warehousing infrastructure.