Kahika Eco Hub
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Key Features
- Renewable Energy Solar Panels
- Maximise Natural Lighting
- Double Glazed Windows and Insulated Walls
- Harvested Roof Water with Tanks for Storage
- Batteries for Energy Storage
- Self Sustaining - No Mains Power or Water
- Electric Forklifts
About the Warehouse
Location and Community Impact
Nestled in the heart of Grong Grong, a vibrant small farming community of around 300 residents, our new Eco Hub warehouse represents a significant leap forward in bringing advanced infrastructure to rural areas. Positioned approximately 50 minutes from Wagga Wagga, this warehouse stands as a beacon of innovation and environmental stewardship.
Eco-Friendly Design and Operations
Our commitment to sustainability is evident in every aspect of the warehouse's design and operation. The facility is completely eco-friendly, harnessing the power of natural resources to minimise its environmental footprint. By maximising natural lighting, we reduce our reliance on powered lighting sources. This ongoing focus on integrating more daylight into our workspace helps us continuously explore innovative ways to further decrease our energy consumption.
Advanced Warehouse Design
The warehouse design reflects our dedication to efficiency and technological advancement. Traditionally, our warehouses have maintained a spacing of 3 meters between racking systems. However, with the use of cutting-edge technology, we have successfully reduced this spacing to just 1.6 meters. This transformation is made possible by magnetic chips embedded in the ground, which interact with our electric forklifts. These forklifts use magnetic guidance to navigate the warehouse floor, detecting pallet edges. This system is similar to artificial intelligence, allowing forklifts to perform precise operations without rotating their bodies—only their forks.
The result is a more streamlined and efficient use of space. Our Wagga Warehouse currently stacks 2 pallets high and thanks to this advanced design, at Grong Grong we can now stack 5 pallets high. This increase in storage capacity not only optimises our cubic space but also allows us to house more products, thereby improving overall warehouse efficiency.
How the Warehouse Operates?
Efficient Stock Distribution
One of the key benefits of our advanced warehouse design is the ability to effectively “drip-feed” stock to our branches located in Wagga Wagga, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand. By strategically managing inventory and distributing products as needed, we minimise the distance each item must travel from our warehouse to its final destination. This approach not only reduces transportation kilometers but also significantly lowers our carbon footprint, a critical factor in our commitment to sustainability.
Reducing Carbon Footprint and Resource Usage
Minimising transportation is a crucial element in reducing our environmental impact as a warehousing and distribution business. The Kahika Eco Hub is designed to operate with fewer resources compared to traditional facilities. The advanced technology and streamlined layout reduce the need for extensive machinery and manual handling, which in turn cuts down on energy consumption and operational costs.
Optimised Storage and Handling
Our distribution strategy involves bringing shipments to the Eco Hub, where they are stored and then dispatched to our branches as needed. This approach not only offers flexible storage solutions for all our clients but also allows us to send smaller quantities of stock at a time. By minimising double handling of products and reducing the distance traveled, we lessen the wear and tear on cartons and boxes, which ultimately benefits both our customers and the environment.
Efficiency
The Kahika Eco Hub combines the world of logistics and warehousing with sustainability in a way that is rarely addressed in Australia. The facility has been Eco-designed from the get-go, from the incorporation of electric forklift tracking to allow minimal space between racking, to the redesigned pallet dimensions to ensure each cube of space is utilised throughout the building. The building length, height and width has been architecturally planned to facilitate racking dimensions. The materials- responsibly sourced, industry grade - ensure that this Eco Hub is around for generations to come.
Sustainability
By choosing to be independent from mains power and water the Eco Hub cannot be reliant on fossil fuels and avoids relying on water allocations from government departments. Solar and rain water, two of Australia’s most heavily discussed natural resources, provide everything this Eco Hub needs to function each day. With natural lighting throughout, double glazed windows, electric tracking and electric forklifts, and battery storage on site, the Kahika Eco Hub offers a 100% renewable and self-sustaining solution for storing Australia’s biggest brands.