Last week, Nestlé and GXO Logistics Inc. proudly showcased their flagship high-tech distribution centre at the SEGRO East Midlands Gateway site in Leicestershire to Chris McDonald MP, Minister of State for Industry, as part of an industry visit organised by Logistics UK for the UK Government Department for Business and Trade.
During a guided tour of the distribution centre, the Minister – who was joined for the visit by Amanda Hack MP, Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire – saw how Nestlé and GXO are working collaboratively on innovation projects that support the facility’s role in the delivery of 80 per cent of Nestlé's UK and Ireland grocery distribution.
East Midlands Gateway is a centre for innovation and the Minister was shown some of the businesses most impressive projects, including RowPaQ, a purpose-built robotic palletising system designed to handle smaller, mixed-product orders destined for convenience stores.
The visit was hosted by Richard Hastings, Head of Logistics at Nestlé UK and Ireland, Chris Hyde, Managing Director for Food & Beverage Business at GXO alongside Ben Fletcher, the recently appointed CEO of Logistics UK.
The visit started with the Minister joining Nestlé, GXO and other business representatives for a roundtable discussion on the future of Industry, including the importance of logistics to the economy and growth sectors, fair decarbonisation transitions and importance of matching skills with investment in innovation for efficient and resilient logistics.
Commenting on the day, Richard Hastings, Head of Logistics at Nestlé UK and Ireland, said: “It was great for industry leaders to gather for this event. East Midlands Gateway is the crown jewel of our physical logistics network here at Nestlé, and we are proud to deliver more than 200 jobs for the local area.”
Chris Hyde, Managing Director for Food & Beverage Business at GXO said: ““The visit was a great opportunity to showcase our outstanding team at our EMG site, along with the innovative automated solutions they’ve brought to life. Our partnership with Nestlé continues to grow from strength to strength, and we remain committed to investing in new solutions together to support their growth ambitions and set ambitious benchmarks for the wider sector.”
Ben Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer at Logistics UK, said: ”Our industry moves as lightning speed, and it was great to see so much innovation on show during the visit to the East Midlands Gateway. Our discussions demonstrated the collective commitment to reinforcing logistics’ place as a driver of growth in the economy and I look forward to working closely with Nestle, GXO and the other businesses to maximise the positive impact has on UK PLC’s growth.”
The visit follows the flagship distribution centre featuring in Nestlé UK and Ireland’s latest content series, Amazing Machines, revealing how smart automation paired with skilled on-site teams plays a vital role in keeping everyday products moving across the country.
