The COVID-19 crisis has and will continue to deliver some real positives to Queensland’s property market and economy including being the catalyst for a well overdue repositioning of businesses in the industrial sector, according to national builder Vaughan Constructions.  

The repositioning, says Senior Business Development Manager at Vaughans, Richard Lloyd, had resulted in action to minimise supply chain risk through decentralisation, as well as a greater focus on increasing domestic manufacturing capacity and capability.

“COVID has undoubtedly been the greatest crisis this state has faced for a very long time but crises almost invariably deliver some positives. In this case, what some may call overdue introspection, has included having a look at the way we do things and asking questions about how we can improve and at the same time protect ourselves against future events.

“In the long run that will deliver a stronger, more efficient and more resilient industrial sector for Queensland,’’ Mr Lloyd said.  

He said the shift had also driven increasing interest in Queensland’s industrial sector and particularly in the south-east.

“We have seen a real lift in enquiry from e-commerce, third-party logistics, and warehousing and distributions businesses, as well as from operators in the manufacturing sector, a trend we expect to continue throughout the next 12 months,’’ Mr Lloyd said.

Since opening its new Brisbane office at Spring Hill in mid-2020 Vaughans won the contract to construct a $184 million distribution centre for Woolworths at Heathwood. To be known as Heathwood Chilled Frozen Distribution Centre the 42,000 sqm facility will enable fresher, faster and more efficient deliveries of frozen and long-life chilled products to around 260 stores across Queensland and northern New South Wales.

At full capacity, more than two million cartons a week will move through the Heathwood facility. It will be co-located with Woolworths’ meat supplier Hilton Meats’ production facility, helping take up to 390 truck movements off Brisbane roads each week.

Vaughans also recently completed a 15,000 square metre warehouse facility for national warehouse and fulfilment business McPhee Distribution Services at Berrinba.

Vaughan’s portfolio includes some of the largest industrial structures in the Southern Hemisphere, including the recently completed 100,000sqm Mickleham Distribution Centre, the  45 metre high bay Southern Regional Distribution Centre (MSRDC) for Woolworths in Melbourne, as well as large distribution facilities for Dulux, Aldi, and Coca-Cola on top of numerous commercial, residential and retail projects. Vaughan is also a developer of industrial estates and business parks, including the $375 million Biodiversity Industrial Estate in Epping, Victoria.