A joint venture between DHL Supply Chain and Johnson & Johnson has seen a new distribution centre being opened in East London’s Wilsonia area as part of a joint venture between DHL Supply Chain and Johnson & Johnson (Pty) Ltd. the largest single principal Medical Council Compliant warehouse in the southern hemisphere, bringing investment to the Eastern Cape along with open in East London.
The Wilsonia Distribution Centre, 13 500m² under roof, holds both Johnson & Johnson personal care and Over the Counter (OTC) products, consolidating four previous smaller locations into this new warehouse.
“We are proud to be continuing our efforts to develop the Eastern Cape with the new facility. This is a milestone in our partnership with Johnson & Johnson, which started 14 years ago with the distribution of Johnson & Johnson products to their customers around South Africa. We continue to bring unrivalled solutions to create success for our healthcare customers around the globe,” says Paul Stone, DHL Supply Chain CEO Africa & MD South Africa.
The current staff complement at the distribution centre is 58 full time employees, and 15 contract staff numbers. The centre, boasting 18 000 pallet spaces, 16 500 locations, eight inbound and eight outbound bays, has created the additional capacity required for future growth. This means possible future job opportunities for the people of East London.
In partnership with DHL Supply Chain, Johnson & Johnson started this development three years ago with the purchase of the land and appointment of a national construction company with local representation (John T. Ross) in the Eastern Cape. Local labour and suppliers were also utilised, strengthening the economy of the East London region.
The distribution hub in East London distributes 80% direct to customer distribution centres and DHL Supply Chain satellites in Johannesburg, Plumbago and Cape Town Campus (CTC) warehouses. This centre will also export to major destinations in East and West Africa.
Luan de Vries, Head of Customer Logistics Services for Johnson & Johnson Consumer, explained the potential impact the new warehouse will have: “The new Wilsonia warehouse will offer us the flexibility and agility we need to meet our customers’ requirements. This warehouse, strategically placed in very close proximity to the J&J manufacturing plant in East London, reduces complexity, lead times and efficiencies within our supply chain,” she says.
The DHL Supply Chain staff at East London moved into the new facility in August 2015.