Coles CFC, Wetherill Park, NSW & Truganina, Vic

Coles’ 2 new Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs) in Wetherill Park, NSW and Truganina, Vic, are bringing a fresh approach to online grocery shopping. Each site supports Coles Online, taking orders from the screen straight to the doorstep with efficiency and precision.

Partnering with Ocado, a global leader in online grocery technology, Coles has integrated sophisticated automation and robotics within these centres. More than 700 robots navigate densely packed ‘hives’ managing product selection and packing. These advanced online shopping warehouses are delivering an enhanced shopping experience for online shoppers – with improvements in availability, fewer substitutions, increased range of products available and improvements in the shelf-life of staples such as mince and milk.

NDY was engaged to conduct a peer review of services, focusing on alignment with the design brief and Coles’ principal project requirements (PPR), as well as Australian standards and best practice. With the CFCs delivered as design and construct projects, our role included providing ongoing guidance to address issues that arose in meeting compliance or aligning with project specifications. This support helped maintain consistency in meeting Coles’ expectations throughout the design and construction phases.

To support the complex mechanical needs of the CFCs, NDY’s review focused on several areas within the chilled warehouse environments, as well as essential support spaces including offices, bakery and critical data centre and electrical spaces.

As part of the review to these areas, we assessed the building management system (BMS) and control systems along with free cooling opportunities for efficient site operations. Variable speed compressed air systems, required to power the warehouse automation equipment, were also reviewed to confirm they met the operational demands of these automated processes. For the ambient warehouse, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was reviewed to verify that product storage areas maintained acceptable temperatures, leveraging higher temperature zones where possible.

Though not initially involved in the design or review of the chilled/refrigerated warehouse, NDY was later engaged post-occupancy to address condensation issues, providing advice to help Coles maintain optimal conditions within these areas.

These fulfilment centres show Coles’ commitment to delivering a high-quality experience for customers. More than warehouses, they represent a new approach to online shopping, where advanced technology and thoughtful design provide convenience and reliability – bringing a dependable service to customers across Australia.