Snack Brands Australia Sydney Distribution Center

Project Overview

Snack Brands Australia, one of the country's largest snack manufacturers producing iconic brands including Kettle Chips, Thins, CC's, Samboy, and Cheezels, undertook a significant transformation of their distribution process to boost efficiency in the fast-paced snack production industry. Since 2008, the company has focused intensively on supply chain and distribution efficiencies, investing heavily in both factory operations and distribution infrastructure.

The project involved consolidating two separate warehouses into a massive 30,255 square meter purpose-built facility specifically designed for Snack Brands' operations. This strategic consolidation represented a major step in optimizing their supply chain to support the delivery of over 200 million packets of chips annually across Australia.

The partnership with Daifuku began in 2017 when Snack Brands ran a tender for an AS/RS system. After visiting Daifuku's Shiga facility in Japan, the company was convinced that Daifuku was the right partner to deliver the advanced automation solution needed for their growing distribution requirements.

Technical Solution

High-Bay Automated Storage and Retrieval System

The facility features a 30-meter high-bay automated storage system (Unit Load AS/RS) that provides fully automated storage from start to finish. This system represents the core of the automation solution, with no manual labor involved in storage operations. The only manual handling occurs at the final stage where forklifts load pallets from the pallet live storage onto trucks.

Key Features

The purpose-built 30,255 square meter facility was specifically designed for Snack Brands' operations, representing a significant investment in customized distribution infrastructure for snack food manufacturing.

The 30-meter high-bay AS/RS provides substantial vertical storage capacity in a compact footprint, optimizing space utilization while enabling efficient automated storage and retrieval operations.

The fully automated operation from start to finish minimizes manual intervention, creating a highly efficient distribution process that supports the high-volume requirements of snack food delivery.

Results & Benefits

The consolidation of two warehouses into one efficient 30,255 square meter facility has streamlined Snack Brands' distribution operations, supporting the delivery of over 200 million packets of chips annually to customers across Australia.

Enhanced inventory accuracy and efficiency have been achieved through the automated system, enabling just-in-time picking that maximizes inventory availability while minimizing stock holding requirements.

The system provides excellent capacity to manage peak trading periods and big demand days, giving Snack Brands the flexibility to handle fluctuating demand patterns characteristic of the snack food industry.

Challenges & Solutions

The need to transform the distribution process for fast-paced snack production was addressed through the implementation of a fully automated high-bay AS/RS system in partnership with Daifuku, creating a modern, efficient distribution operation.

The challenge of consolidating two warehouses into a single efficient operation was solved by building a purpose-built 30,255 square meter facility with advanced automation technology specifically designed for Snack Brands' requirements.

System Integrator

Daifuku served as the system integrator, delivering the complete AS/RS solution including design, installation, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance support. The strong working relationship developed over five years extends beyond the initial project to ongoing collaboration on additional solutions. Daifuku's maintenance team works on-site seamlessly with Snack Brands' team, and strong senior-level relationships ensure continued business collaboration. The project successfully delivered on all four key objectives: on-time delivery, within budget, completed safely without injuries, and meeting the business case requirements.