Site preparation is already well underway. Building will take place over the coming months and the new store will be in use by early September.
Ravensdown purchased 8.4ha on Te Houka Road in 2004 to replace the aging current building on the Balclutha-Owaka road, which was built in the 1960s, says South Island Store Operations Manager Wayne Collingwood.
“Product was being double handled at the existing site because trucks couldn’t be tipped into every bay and the bays were also open to the weather. In addition, there wasn’t enough space for our expanding range of products. The narrow site itself was an issue with the railway line behind and the Catlins road in front. A 100km speed limit and a tight corner on the highway also meant safety issues with trucks turning in and out of the site.”
Wayne says the Te Houka Road store will provide for 13 bulk product lines and a bag store capable of holding a minimum of 30t in bulk and small bags and a purpose-built mixing plant that can handle lime/fertiliser mixes effectively and quickly.
“The site has been laid out to allow easy manoeuvring of loaders, trucks and other vehicles and the two despatch points will also be fully enclosed,” says Wayne.
Environmentally-friendly features such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) in the roof frame, Webglass on the roof and Wonderclad on the walls are being used in the designs of new Ravensdown stores.