From toolboxes to tuggers: A day in the life of the Derrimut DC

Warehouses are often perceived as messy, dusty spaces with boxes scattered everywhere.

That’s certainly not the case at the Derrimut DC where 70 HSV employees run a well-ordered operation across two shifts each day.

Senior Operations Manager Manny Ioane and his team manage the 22,500 square metre warehouse – equivalent in size to the MCG. Around 15 deliveries are dispatched from the Derrimut DC each day to as far afield as Barwon Heads, Bacchus Marsh and Frankston. All of this is possible thanks to the automated systems, continuous improvements and rigorous schedule that have been implemented since the DC went live in 2021. 

A day at the DC starts at 5am when the first shift arrives, kicking off with a toolbox meeting to discuss safety topics, service requirements, workload for the day and operational updates.

Then the real work begins with the outbound picking team loading up orders for delivery from two locations – one from pallet locations for large cartons and the other from the clean room.

Meanwhile inbound and inventory staff start unloading the 400 stock lines received each day.

Manny says the leadership team carries out a safety and compliance inspection of the DC each month. The inventory team also reviews picking locations on a regular basis to make sure they support current demand for stock.

“If we have stock that’s fast-moving, such as gloves or cups, we’ll make sure we have multiple bay locations for that product instead of one,” Manny says. “It’s more efficient because we can replenish the stock less often.”

Each day stock is dispatched to health services via HSV’s fleet of five vehicles, with the last delivery going out as late as 1.30pm.

The exception is the Royal Melbourne Hospital ICU and Emergency wards which receive a same day priority service.

Warehouse operations have evolved rapidly since Derrimut DC first opened its doors.

In December 2021 warehouse staff used trolleys and paper forms. Now they use RF (radio frequency) inventory scanning guns that connect to the warehouse management system while electric tuggers are used to pick and pack around 4,000 lines per day.

A meticulous cleaning regime is carried out alongside all this activity. Contract cleaners arrive onsite at 1.30pm and 7pm, and industrial cleaning machines make their way through at least eight aisles a day.

“The whole DC is swept once each week,” says Manny.

Waste reduction is also important with most cartons recycled, saving on costs.

The afternoon shift wraps up at around 10pm each night, finalising orders and setting up for the following day’s work.

Manny says there has been a lot of progress at the DC since 2021. Safety has been an ongoing focus and in the past 12 months training has been provided on safe work practices including verification of competencies to complete key functions onsite, ensuring a clean, safe and welcoming environment for the HSV team as well as suppliers and customers.