Port Nelson Restructures Its Logistics And Warehousing Operation

In a drive to both improve efficiencies and connect more closely with its customers Port Nelson has restructured its logistics and warehousing operations.

The move will see all warehousing and packing services on the Port consolidated into one operation, QuayPack. This will allow the QuayConnect operation to work more closely with clients, to offer innovative supply chain solution services.

The QuayConnect brand which turned 5 years old this year, is emblazoned on the side of the 23,000m2 Patterson Logistics Centre on Vickerman Street Nelson, as well as on the many trucks that transport empty wine bottles to Marlborough and return backloaded with export ready wine. The introduction of QuayConnect to the wine logistics industry, brought a new smarter approach to wine logistics in the Nelson-Tasman and Marlborough region.

Since its inception in 2016 this new approach has led to the annual removal of approximately 5150 truck trips, or 620,000- kms of travel, and saving 900 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to the traditional logistics model between Nelson and Marlborough. To put these numbers into context, the total CO2 removed to date is the equivalent to what would be removed by a 1000-hectare forest over this period.

This new focus for QuayConnect will allow it to seek and achieve similar efficiency improvements for its clients. This work will continue to move product from the Te Tauihu region out to major New Zealand centres and the international market. These types of achievable efficiency gains can be seen in a recently secured contract with a global organisation which utilises a dedicated fleet of ISO tank containers to export Marlborough wines through Port Nelson to Australia.

Container packing and warehousing services have been provided at Port Nelson for over 150 years evolving over time to better serve the changing needs of its customers. QuayPack was established over 20 years ago to service the export needs of the forestry sector, primarily the storage and packing of MDF, LVL and swan timber, and as an accredited Transitional Facility, the devanning of personal effects from import containers. Its service offering has grown over the years to include wine flexitank fitting and now under its new structure has a total of 40,000m2 of warehousing and service space in the Nelson and Marlborough region.

Under the new structure QuayPack will be able to generate further efficiencies with its extended warehousing and service space as well as better utilised plant and team. The introduction of a new Warehouse Management System will allow for greater business insights and assist in innovating processes to achieve efficiency gains.

The Port sees challenging times ahead for the next 18 months, with the on-going global implications of COVID-19. However, as the Nelson Tasman region’s gateway to the world, the port is fortunate to be involved in what will be a star performer for New Zealand, the primary industries. Wine, apples, kiwifruit, fish, and logs are likely to continue to have strong export demand. Processed timber is more likely to be impacted by the economic downturn but will remain strong for the region. As it is unlikely that the cruise industry will fully recover by the coming season despite murmurs of domestic cruising, this lack of arrivals will severely impact the port.

© Scoop Media