3663 First for Foodservice has merged its Kent operations to create a new £17.6 million super-depot at Paddock Wood to incorporate new technology and environmental gains.
The new depot will supply its foodservice customers in London and the South East with an environment-sensitive, sustainable multi-temperature food distribution hub.
The new facility, set up to accommodate new and existing business, replaces one depot at Edenbridge and two in Sevenoaks which will close in the next two month. The new depot, set to open this week, has been designed to ensure the highest level of operational efficiency and the most eco-friendly method of working.
There are storage facilities for chilled, ambient and frozen foods; ample loading docks; parking for more than 90 HGVs and 200 cars, plus a three-level office building and staff facilities, including a 60-seat cafeteria.
3663 chief executive Fred Barnes said: “The opening of Paddock Wood is a significant milestone on the way to achieving our vision of sustainable leadership in foodservice distribution. This new depot clearly demonstrates our willingness to invest in providing our customers with the very best - whether you measure that by quality of service, environmental concerns or efficiency, while maintaining our number one position in sustainability.
“We care about our people, we care about our customers, and that’s self-evident from the investment we have made, not only in this new flagship depot, but in the other depots we operate around the UK.”
Materials on the site were reclaimed and re-used as the basis of the new building. The site includes a waste recovery area, where cardboard and polythene packaging will be collected and palletised, ready to be shipped off for recycling. Rainwater will be recycled for vehicle washing, loo flushing and cooling of plant evaporative condensers.
The flow of natural light into the Paddock Wood building has been carefully structured to reduce energy consumption and improve the working environment, and artificial lighting is photo-cell activated to avoid wastage. Solar panels in the warehouse roof provide electrical power to the offices and pre-heat water, while natural light in the warehouse reduces power consumption and makes for a more pleasant working environment.
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