Automatic, unmanned vehicles to drive warehouse efficiencies

A low-emissions wool handling and selling centre is set to be opened by Elders in Melbourne and is tipped to reduce costs for the battling commodity.

Elders is gearing up to officially launch its new automated wool handling facility in Melbourne next month.

The new $25 million Elders Wool investment is two centralised sites, in Melbourne and Perth, and a network of receival centres.

The Perth site was opened this time last year and combines wool selling and storage and handling.

According to Elders, the aim is to lift efficiency in the wool supply chain, reduce costs of wool handling and selling, and cut emissions.

It comes as Elders state wool manager Lachie Brown told a recent field day in western Victoria that growers already faced a very challenging environment in terms of costs and more efficiencies needed to be found to ease the pressure on them.

Elders will officially open the Melbourne centre next month and is planning to show growers and industry representatives through the new facility.

Bales at the new centre are moved using Autonomous Guided Vehicles – low-energy self-driving vehicles which use significantly less energy than human-driven forklifts.

According to Elders, the AGVs, are a world first for the wool industry, also reduce safety risks to people, and are intended to be powered by on-roof solar.

The aim is also to mitigate scope one and two greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficient equipment.

Meanwhile, an industry-wide program is also expected to be launched soon, targeting disease preparedness.

The initiative, the Australian Wool Traceability Hub is scheduled to be officially launched in coming weeks.

The nation’s wool testing authority will manage and operate the Hub on behalf of the industry. The purpose is to strengthen the confidence in, reliability and efficiency of the transfer of key information in the event of animal disease issues within the Australian wool supply chain from woolgrowers to first stage processors.