Winvic Develop New ‘Midlands Super Hub’ For Hermes

A NEW ‘Midlands Super Hub’ has been developed by Winvic to give Hermes the capacity to meet an ever-increasing demand for consumer delivery services.

The state-of-the-art distribution centre located at the heart of a Logistics ‘Golden Triangle’ was delivered on time and within budget following a 42-week construction programme to create a facility capable of processing 100,000 parcels per hour. Such a high level of processing, which will increase Hermes’ capacity by 45%, could only be achieved through some very specific design and build features.

“An essential part of meeting the high operational target has been the installation of 176 dock levellers, a significantly large number for a building of that size.”

Chris Brook, Project Manager

As part of a 50:50 joint venture between Roxhill Developments and SEGRO at Rugby Gateway, Winvic were appointed as the main contractor to build the Super Hub, which is scheduled to be fully operational in the summer of 2017 following its fit-out.

A 235,000 ft2 warehouse with cross-docking system and 20,000 ft2 of office space provide Hermes with a distribution centre that is located adjacent to the M6 (J1) near Rugby, giving them access to 85% of the UK population within a 4.5-hour HGV drive time.

“This facility represents the biggest single investment by Hermes to strengthen their position as an industry leader,” said Chris Brook, Winvic’s Project Manager.

“An essential part of meeting the high operational target has been the installation of 176 dock levellers, a significantly large number for a building of that size.”

He added: “We have also fitted an extra layer of steel at a height of four metres to accommodate the very latest, high-capacity sortation system.”

Carole Woodhead, the Chief Executive Officer at Hermes, commented: “The hub’s enormous throughput capability and built-in flexibility will ensure that we can continue to provide retailers with world-class services and solutions.”

Winvic’s dedicated approach to developing sustainable buildings has resulted in the Super Hub achieving a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’. Among the energy efficient measures included are rainwater harvesting, solar thermal heating and low energy, high efficiency lighting solutions.