PROVEN AT SCALE IN AUCKLAND:
Automation That Delivers
New AutoStore™ system from Kardex speeds up fulfilment and enhances accuracy for NZ Safety Blackwoods. The new system provides high-density, accurate, fast fulfilment for more than 100,000 products and delivers a tenfold increase in picking efficiency.
Safety equipment and engineering supplies company NZ Safety Blackwoods has supercharged operations at its new national distribution centre with an AutoStore automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) powered by Kardex. The 18,000 sq ft hub in South Auckland brings together five existing distribution centres. The purpose-built site provides storage for over 100,000 products (SKUs) and helps NZ Safety Blackwoods ship close to 4,000 product lines a day to customers nationwide.
NZ Safety Blackwoods was looking to maximise use of space and strengthen its ability to deliver critical safety, engineering and workplace products from the new facilty at Drury South Crossing. It turned to Kardex, the fastest-growing AutoStore integrator, to provide it with the ability to store, retrieve and pick items quickly from its warehouse.
The AutoStore ASRS speeds up fulfilment, with a tenfold increase in picking efficiency, enabling employees to pick up to 300 products per hour. It also streamlines processes, improves transparency and increases consistency to meet growing customer demand and rising expectations for fast, accurate delivery.
Officially opened on 20 March 2026 by former New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Bill English, a member of the board of NZ Safety Blackwoods’ parent company Wesfarmers, the new automated facility has been specifically designed to meet the company’s needs. The AutoStore grid houses 38,000 totes within just 1,000 sq m. Robots present a new product to team members for picking every four seconds during peak periods, significantly speeding up order fulfilment and enhancing picking accuracy. Ergonomic Kardex IPAs at each picking station are specifically designed to enhance the AutoStore system, minimising errors and optimising picking efficiency by guiding operators through the picking process with intuitive workflows, clear displays and precise directions to eliminate mispicks and reduce onboarding time. “Customers rely on us for products that are fundamental to safety and productivity,” says Chris Mason, Head of Operations for NZ Safety Blackwoods.
“Customers rely on us for products that are fundamental to safety and productivity,” says Chris Mason, Head of Operations for NZ Safety Blackwoods. “When something is missing or delayed, work can stop. This new distribution centre is about reducing that risk by moving product through our network faster, more accurately and with far greater reliability.”
AutoStore ASRS meets growing customer demand now and into the future.
With over 100 years of experience in the safety equipment market, NZ Safety Blackwoods is owned by Wesfarmers. It covers all of New Zealand with 35 trade centres and employs over 550 team members. Growing customer demand was increasing strain on its existing warehouse system. By consolidating five pre-existing distribution centres into just one purpose-built site, NZ Safety Blackwoods can handle more than 100,000 SKUs out of a single central hub allowing for faster handling times, more flexible delivery options, and reduced complexity.
A total of 36 R5 mobile robots, 26 chargers, 6 CarouselPorts, 6 ConveyorPorts, and 6 Kardex Intuitive Picking Assistants (IPA) have completely transformed NZ Safety Blackwoods’ fulfilment operations. Installed and implemented by Kardex experts, the AutoStore system drives a tenfold increase in picking efficiency, meaning NZ Safety Blackwoods ensures customers always have what they need when they need it.
The AutoStore ASRS, powered by Kardex, allows NZ Safety Blackwoods to meet customer demand both now and into the future. New robots, ports and storage can be added easily to scale up operations in the future or to meet peaks in demand. Working with integrator Kardex, the new system was up and running on budget and ahead of schedule. A 37,000-bin induction was completed in just eight weeks. It improves inventory visibility, order accuracy, and response times. Customers also benefit from consolidated invoicing and simplified administration to cut down on wasted order management time.
Kardex: ‘Increasing safety, accuracy and delivering intelligent order fulfilment’
While the new Drury South facility was designed with order fulfilment, efficiency, and footprint in mind, safety and sustainability were also at the heart of the project. With safe working at the heart of its business, NZ Safety Blackwood looked for a system that reduces the burden of repetitive, physically demanding or higher risk manual tasks, freeing up employees to carry out more high value work.
“For more than 100 years, NZ Safety Blackwoods has existed to support New Zealand businesses with the products and expertise they rely on every day,” says Andy Antoci, GM NZ Safety Blackwoods.
“Today we serve customers right across the country, from large industrial and infrastructure projects to manufacturers, contractors and essential services. This distribution centre reflects both the scale of our business and our responsibility to keep customers supplied, safe and operating without disruption. “The technology has been implemented with a clear focus on safety‑by‑design and people‑first operations, reducing higher‑risk manual tasks while supporting consistent, repeatable performance at scale.”
Deployed for the first time in New Zealand, the Kardex IPAs are ergonomically designed to reduce strain on workers, and improve picking efficiency and accuracy. Products are stored tightly together in the AutoStore grid and easily accessed by robotic pickers, reducing the amount of space required and improved safety for workers.
“Kardex is proud to partner with NZ Safety Blackwoods on this project,” states Grant Smith, Director of Business Development, AutoStore, ANZ at Kardex. “Working closely together, we’ve created a modern fulfilment centre using AutoStore technology and Kardex software to bring NZ Safety Blackwoods operations into one consolidated footprint. Increasing accuracy and delivering intelligent order fulfilment with Kardex innovations that are first of their kind in New Zealand improves NZ Safety Blackwoods’ service delivery capabilities as the business grows.
“Kardex is also proud to have supported the project and to continue enabling customers worldwide with reliable, high‑performance AutoStore systems. It demonstrates the power of partnership working, delivering a sustainable, scalable, efficient and safe facility. We are pleased to show how AutoStore and Kardex can transform distribution operations at scale for companies in New Zealand.”
Sustainable, future-ready fulfilment from Kardex and AutoStore
AutoStore is the fastest fulfilment system per square foot on the market. The system can be scaled as the business grows without any disruption to existing operations and it is also energy-efficient and sustainable, with 10 AutoStore robots using the same amount of energy as one standard vacuum cleaner.
The Drury South Crossing facility has been designed in partnership with national property and construction firm Calder Stewart to minimise embodied carbon as part of NZ Safety Blackwoods’ vision for a more efficient, sustainable, and profitable future. It features a range of sustainability-related measures, including a solar energy system, daylight and rainwater harvesting, low-e double glazing, and an advanced building management system
On Friday, 20 March 2026, attendees at the official opening heard from Sir Bill English, along with representatives from NZ Safety Blackwoods, Kardex and Calder Stewart, about the landmark project and were given the chance to tour the new distribution centre to see the AutoStore in action. With the new facility, NZ Safety Blackwoods continues its 100-year legacy of providing vital safety and engineering equipment to businesses across New Zealand.
Photos by Peter Payne Photography