3663 builds for the future without costing the earth
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Building a new depot doesn't mean destroying acres of the countryside. It can give you the chance to make some cost savings and be kind to the environment at the same time, as 3663 has done with its new 'super hub'.
FOOD DISTRIBUTION firm 3663 First for Foodservice has long prided itself on its ability to devise and execute new environmental initiatives.
Only last year, the firm won the Innovation Award at the Motor Transport Awards for its decision to run half its fleet on a 30% blend of biodiesel using waste cooking oil from client KEC.
Now, 3663 has decided to consolidate its Kent operations by opening a new .£17.6m green 'super depot at Paddock Wood, which is near Tonbridge.
The site has solar panels in the warehouse roof to provide electrical power to the offices and preheat water, while natural light is used in the warehouse itself. Meanwhile, rainwater is recycled for both vehicle washing and toilet flushing.
A green masterclass
The 13-acre facility is able to house 110 vehicles, and has 17 load bays, 14 of which are temperaturecontrolled. There is 120,000ti — excluding the offices — of multitemperature warehousing space, including areas dedicated to ambient, chilled and frozen items.
3663 chief executive Fred Barnes says: "The new Paddock Wood depot is a masterclass in how to build an environmentally sensitive and sustainable food distribution hub."
He adds: -It has been designed to accommodate new and existing business, and its smart design ensures the highest level of operational efficiency and the most eco-friendly method of working."
A phased migration to Paddock Wood from three other 3663 sites in Kent — one at Edenbridge, and two in Sevenoaks — will take place over the next two months.
The facility will operate six days a week, and around 250 staff will transfer over from the existing three sites. In addition, 100 new jobs will be created by the new year, taking the total number of employees up to 350 when the hub is running at full capacity Alex Fisher, 3663 managing director, says the depot was the firm's "number-one option" to expand capacity in the South-East: "It is the culmination of 18 months' hard work. We were choc-a-block for capacity in the South-East, and we have been short of refrigeration room in the past."
He continues: "Customers have been waiting for us to have the much-needed capacity for growth that we now have here. We have several large contracts in the pipeline, including a big one ready to start in January.
"The industry is moving towards more consolidation, and this facility is very attractive to larger clients, which are very concerned about sustainability."
Barnes says the location is "ideal',' as many of the employees the company has employed over the years at its existing sites in Kent can easily get to Paddock Wood by rail or road.
Providing a boost
Barnes adds: "All but about five people elected to come over. Our greatest success is taking most of the staff with us."
Barnes believes there is now a feeling of "cautious optimism" that for the food service sector, at least, the worst of the economic downturn may be over.
He says: "It will take a while for the growth levels of a few years ago to return, and it seems the construction and car industries are having a hard time of it.
"However, this new depot will provide 3663 with a real boost, and we hope that it will help us grow our business for many years to come." •
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