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Lactalis Canada, a subsidiary of Lactalis Group, is entering into a long-term lease for a new distribution centre located in Oshawa, Ontario. Set to open in Q4 2024, the 379,000-square-foot facility will be developed, built and leased by Montreal-based builder Broccolini, with construction beginning immediately. Lactalis Canada is known for brands Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson, Astro and Lactantia. The facility will consolidate multiple shipping locations used to service the cheese and tablespreads category – including the Belleville, Ontario, distribution centre – into a central, modern facility to enable the company’s long-term growth and increase its capacity and efficiency while enhancing service to its customers. Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Lactalis Canada, said: “Lactalis Canada’s new facility in Oshawa will become the largest distribution centre, from a capacity standpoint, for Lactalis Group globally. This bold step exemplifies Lactalis Canada’s growth ambitions in Canada as a dairy leader and, more importantly, reinforces our continued commitment and investment in the country and communities in which we operate.” Eric Seguin, SVP of Supply Chain at Lactalis Canada, commented: “The Greater Toronto Area is the optimal hub for this part of our supply chain network across Canada. The Oshawa distribution centre is poised to meet the current needs and future demands of our business and customers, while its sustainable design will transform our network effectiveness and contribute to Lactalis Canada’s ESG agenda in reducing its carbon footprint.” Once complete, the new facility will have the capacity to store up to 60,000 pallets in both cooler and freezer environments and will be ‘zero-carbon ready’ with the potential to be Zero Carbon Building certified. The company says that energy will be sourced “fully on the Ontario power grid with no additional reliance on non-renewable energy sources”. As part of its sustainability credentials, the centre will use energy-efficient lighting controls, equipment and high insulation to reduce the power load imposed on the refrigeration system. Furthermore, heat generated from the refrigeration system will be fully reclaimed and used to heat the facility’s offices and to melt snow for safety reasons. The centre will be built with a white roof to reduce heat and will be installed with solar panels to provide renewable power to “partially or completely offset reliance on the power grid under certain conditions”. Additionally, the new facility will create around 80 jobs in Oshawa and the surrounding region. You may also like to read: