Warehouse designed for e-commerce
A new warehouse and distribution complex under construction in Suffolk (UK) has been designed specifically to meet the needs of e-commerce, or online shopping. The Port One Logistics Park is situated immediately next to the A14, the major road which links the port of Felixstowe with the UK’s major centres of population. The first unit, of 13,300 sqm, has been designed for Ipswich-based FDS Corporation Limited, a Chinese fulfilment house operator.
FDS general manager Sheng Li said: “We are really pleased to be taking up this opportunity. The past three years have shown us how well our Suffolk location works for us and our growth has given us the confidence to look at a new facility.”
A fulfilment house differs from conventional warehouses in its use of the ‘cube’ of the building rather than just focussing on the floor area, says the architect Murray Gibson. “This three-dimensional approach has enabled us to achieve a density of over 32,000 pallets of storage, nine-high with semi-automated locating.” (mw)