Australian cold chain logistics solutions provider Swire Cold Storage opened a state-of-the-art, $30 million expansion to its Laverton site, what is said to be the largest temperature-controlled facility under one roof in the southern hemisphere.

The new facility, located at 60-68 William Angliss Drive, Laverton North, was built with best practice safety and sustainability in mind.

“The safety of our people and efficient use of resources is paramount to our business,” says Shane Moloughney, managing director. “As such, the facility has been built with best practice pedestrian and safety infrastructure, with features such as an overhead pedestrian walkway, a 1-way truck ring road and integrated vehicle mass load control to mitigate risk and provide a safe work environment. We have added an additional 500,000 liters of water harvesting capacity, taking the total capacity to 1 million liters, which is enough to supply 40% of our usage. Inside, we have installed state-of-the-art ammonia refrigeration and a range of energy efficiency innovations, such as smart LED lighting, all of which reduce the burden on precious energy and water resources and lessen our carbon footprint.”

The expansion includes an additional 30,000 pallet spaces and 19 loading docks, taking the total building footprint to 31.670 square meters. The original half of the facility was built in 2008.

The expanded facility will also generate an additional 40 jobs for the local community, bringing the total number of employees at the site to 80.