A partnership between Orora and AHG Refrigerated Transport forged last year has led to the development and commissioning of a new purpose-built facility that opened in Bundaberg, Queensland on 4 August.
The new 4200 square metre corrugated packaging, cold storage and transport facility will provide significant long-term benefits to Orora’s fruit and produce corrugated customer base in Bundaberg.
Brian Lowe, Group GM Fibre told PKN the facility was ten months in development and houses a suite of existing and new packaging technology, and there is room for expansion should the need arise.
Asked what packaging innovations/solutions has Orora Fibre has developed specifically for growers in the region, Lowe responded: "Orora provides a number of unique, innovative carton tray formats which focus on delivering a total solution for our customer’s needs, this includes better ventilation in our packaging which results in a high quality product for our customers.
"Orora also recently released a new product to the market called Xsense, which is an end to end cold chain data logger system that provides customers with a real time understanding of how their product is travelling along the supply chain.
"The Xsense System proactively monitors, analyses and disseminates relevant data to supply chain stakeholders and generates recommendations on how to manage products throughout the cold chain. Xsense helps in assuring the product’s desired environmental conditions from start to end," he said.
According to Orora, the additional refrigerated transport resources provided by AHG means it can bring their produce from farm to market in “pristine condition”.
AHG is Australia’s largest refrigerated logistics provider with an extensive road and rail transport fleet complemented by state-of-the-art cold stores in all Australian capital cities. The AHG transport network includes the well-known company names of Rand, Harris, Scott’s Refrigerated Freightways and JAT (Orora’s partner at the new Bundaberg facility).
JAT has transport depots across Australia’s Eastern seaboard. JAT’s trailers are satellite linked enabling them to track and monitor the cold chain compliance of all the freight they transport. Using Xsense data loggers, they can download the individual history of each trailer movement.
Speaking at the opening, Orora MD & CEO Nigel Garrard said: “We see this investment in Queensland’s horticultural rich heartland as a key strategic asset for Orora that provides our customers with an integrated supply chain solution for their produce.
"In addition, the new facility will provide significant job opportunities particularly during peak season. Bundaberg is a diverse and growing region, the food bowl for Northern Australia.”
Garrard said the new facility, along with Orora and AHG’s strategic partnership, will enhance the group's ability to tailor solutions for growers that have specific supply chain requirements.
The official opening was attended by V8 Supercar champion, Scott McLaughlin, customers and local dignitaries.
