Elders started out in wool handling in the horse and cart era and is returning to the industry with robotic handlers.

The listed Australian agribusiness group will use more than 20 automated guided vehicles to do the heavy lifting and stacking at a new wool handling centre in Melbourne with a 300,000 bale-a-year capacity. There will be no workers on the floor of the 35,000 square metre warehouse, but about 40 new jobs are allocated in wool testing and other roles.