XPO opens major distribution centre in Wakefield with Saint-Gobain UK

The Wakefield Northern Distribution Centre is a dedicated operation for Saint-Gobain UK (SGUK) in the north of England and designed to operate as a multi-functional customer-centric site.

The centre supports multiple manufacturing operations in the North and the Midlands, providing new distribution capability for Saint-Gobain UK brands and enabling Saint-Gobain to accelerate its plans for multi-brand site deliveries for customers. 

Dual-branded with XPO Logistics and Saint-Gobain livery, the site operates as a multi-brand one-stop shop for warehousing, backhaul and distribution to end customers.

In addition, by focusing on backhaul activity, both partners can significantly reduce carbon emissions from their logistics operations and benefit from a positive Health and Safety impact. 

Anika Sharma, customer service and supply chain director at Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions UK, said: “This new site is strategically vital for us, and we are delighted to have created it in collaboration with one of our key partners, XPO Logistics. The centre strengthens our existing logistics offering and allows us to expand and explore exciting new opportunities to benefit our customers.” 

The site has been leased long-term and provides a strategic stock-holding location for Saint-Gobain’s manufacturing facilities, including where XPO Logistics will offer several value-added services such as accelerating consolidated product delivery across multiple Saint-Gobain brands.

This will result in multiple Saint-Gobain brand products being delivered to the customer on one vehicle, as opposed to orders being received on multiple delivery vehicles, which was the case in the past. 

The warehouse can store 2.5m square metres of plasterboard and has 1,500 racking locations for palletised goods. The forklift trucks on site are all electric, further reducing CO2e emissions.

Other warehouse innovations in the pipeline include use of ATVs, robot sweepers, a proprietary warehouse management system, and stock–taking drones which will reduce the need of staff to work at height. 

Dan Myers, XPO Logistics MD, said: “It’s great to see what our teams collectively have achieved with this new distribution centre. Working together, this facility is a significant step for Saint Gobain’s supply chain, helping to support our partner’s sustainability agenda whilst enhancing its customer service. I want to thank the team for the seamless delivery of this project against ambitious timelines.” 

The eventual aim is for the site to become a fulfilment centre stocking products from across all Saint-Gobain UK brands that can be dispatched directly to the consumer.