NZ Safety Blackwoods opens automated Drury distribution hub

NZ Safety Blackwoods has opened a national distribution centre at Drury South in Auckland, featuring an AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system supplied by Kardex.

The purpose-built facility consolidates five existing distribution centres into a single operation and is designed to handle more than 100,000 product lines across the company's safety, engineering and workplace supplies range.

The opening marks a major logistics investment by the Wesfarmers-owned distributor, which serves customers across New Zealand through a network of trade centres and sales channels. The consolidated site is designed to improve delivery speed and consistency for businesses that depend on essential equipment and consumables.

Operations centre on an automated storage system with capacity for 37,000 totes in a vertical grid covering about 1,000 square metres. The installation includes 32 robots, six carousel ports, six conveyor ports and six picking assistant stations.

Automation Focus

According to the companies involved, the system can present a new product to staff every four seconds during peak periods. NZ Safety Blackwoods expects automation to increase picking efficiency tenfold, allowing a single team member to pick up to 300 product lines an hour.

At full capacity, the site is expected to support nearly 4,000 product lines per day for customers nationwide. Orders can be picked and presented in as little as three minutes, helping speed dispatch when items are needed urgently.

Grant Smith, Director of Business Development at AutoStore ANZ (Kardex), commented, "Kardex is proud to partner with NZ Safety Blackwoods on this project."

"Working closely together, we've created a modern fulfilment centre using AutoStore technology and Kardex software to bring NZ Safety Blackwoods operations into one consolidated footprint. Increasing accuracy and delivering intelligent order fulfilment with Kardex innovations that are first of their kind in New Zealand improves NZ Safety Blackwoods' service delivery capabilities as the business grows."

The opening was attended by Sir Bill English, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and a member of the Wesfarmers board. Visitors toured the site and saw the AutoStore system in operation.

Customer Supply

Moving to a single national distribution centre is intended to reduce complexity, cut handling steps and shorten delivery times. The new setup is also expected to improve inventory visibility and order accuracy while simplifying invoicing and administration for customers.

Chris Mason, Head of Operations, NZ Safety Blackwoods, linked the investment to the company's role in customer operations. "Customers rely on us for products that are fundamental to safety and productivity."

"When something is missing or delayed, work can stop. This new distribution centre is about reducing that risk by moving product through our network faster, more accurately and with far greater reliability."

Andy Antoci, GM, NZ Safety Blackwoods, said the new site reflects the company's scale and its role in supplying essential products nationwide. "For more than 100 years, NZ Safety Blackwoods has existed to support New Zealand businesses with the products and expertise they rely on every day."

"Today we serve customers right across the country, from large industrial and infrastructure projects to manufacturers, contractors and essential services. This distribution centre reflects both the scale of our business and our responsibility to keep customers supplied, safe and operating without disruption."

Site Design

The warehouse was also designed to reduce manual handling and separate workers from mobile plant and machinery zones. These layout choices are intended to improve workplace safety by limiting repetitive and higher-risk tasks.

Antoci described that approach in operational terms. "The technology has been implemented with a clear focus on safety-by-design and people-first operations, reducing higher-risk manual tasks while supporting consistent, repeatable performance at scale."

The building measures almost 18,000 square feet and was upgraded with Calder Stewart to support a 0.5-megawatt solar energy system intended to run critical systems. Other features include daylight harvesting, rainwater harvesting, low-e double glazing, a building management system for energy and water monitoring, low-VOC paint and sustainable landscape design.

"This state of-the-art facility reflects the growing demand for modern, efficient and sustainable warehousing infrastructure across New Zealand," explains Ben Murphy, Calder Stewart's General Manager Property. 

"Partnering alongside NZ Safety Blackwoods, our focus was to deliver a purpose-built facility that integrates advanced automation, supports safer operations, and provides the flexibility required for a national distribution network. The result is a future-ready asset designed to support their business and customers for many years to come."