Australia
August 2, 2017
Managing Director of Rural Bank, Alexandra Gartmann, will officially open PGG Wrightson Seeds state-of-the art seed processing and distribution site at Truganina, Victoria on Wednesday 9 August 2017.
John Stewart the General Manager of PGG Wrightson Seeds in Australia said, “the opening of this new facility is testament of our commitment to the Australian seed industry. In addition to the work we already undertake in plant research and development, this represents a significant investment in warehousing and logistics that will efficiently deliver the highest quality seed to our customers.”
PGG Wrightson Seeds’ investment in the innovative facility will support the next generation of forage seed genetics and dramatically improve the seed supply chain for Australian farmers.
Quintin McCall is the National Supply Chain Manager for PGG Wrightson Seeds and said the purpose-built facility sets a new benchmark for seed distribution centres in Australia.
“Our new facility at Truganina is a vital link in our supply chain and we have invested in creating a best-in-class operation that is unparalleled in the industry,” Quintin said.
“PGG Wrightson Seeds provides the market with a wide range of high quality products and we have invested heavily to ensure we have product of high quality available to producers when they need it.”
Storing seed with endophytes was a key consideration when designing the new facility.
“Endophytes have been one of our big breakthroughs producing persistent pasture plants better suited to handle tougher conditions and resistant to pest pressure,” Quintin explained.
“Seed containing endophytes needs to be stored correctly or it will quickly lose its quality, so one of the big things we have done is install a large cold-room and provided roof insulation to lower temperatures.
The 20,000 square metre facility, also features an innovative seed mixing plant.
“Our state-of-the-art seed mixers have dramatically increased our seed mixing capabilities which means we can be very responsive to customer demand, particularly when customers have specific order requirements,” Quintin said.
Improving the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees was also a major consideration when designing the new facility.
“The volume of seed that we manually handle has dramatically reduced due to storage configuration changes, and we have installed a comprehensive dust management system which creates a more pleasant working environment for staff in our manufacturing areas,” Quintin said.
“The office environment has also been considered, and staff now have a much more open and spacious office with plenty of exposure to natural light.”
The facility will process seeds from Tasmania, New Zealand, South America, the United States of America and other international origins. Improvements in export capabilities will also enable the facility to increase seed sales internationally.
“We are very proud of our facility in Melbourne and it’s industry-leading features and capabilities and we’re excited about the upcoming official opening,” Quintin said.
“Melbourne is our largest site and a major link in our supply chain nationally and we are really excited with what we have here.”
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