Willy Naessens Industriebouw, Van Wellen Group and Van Moer Logistics join forces to build new sustainable warehouse

In the May-June 2024 edition of this magazine, we extensively highlighted the business activities of Willy Naessens Industriebouw. You could read how the company is making plenty of efforts for sustainable and circular construction. With the launch of its groundbreaking concept The Circle - composed of one hundred demountable and circular building blocks - the industrial builder is once again raising the bar in the sector. In this article, we highlight an inspiring building project: the construction of a new warehouse at the Van Moer Logistics site 1143 in Kallo.

"For our Food & Feed Terminal in the Port of Antwerp, we asked Willy Naessens Industriebouw and Van Wellen Group to build a new warehouse. 'Warehouse 9' is an extension of our existing warehouses," says Frederik De Lathouwer, Unit Manager at Van Moer Logistics. "This site has a storage capacity of 71,000 square meters. This is spread over nine different warehouses and canopy with a total area of 136,000 square meters and with its own train connection. We use our warehouses for the handling and storage of food, feed products and beverages. There are two operational cells on the site with possibilities for expansion. One hall is for bulking sugar and potato flakes to silo-trucks, another for filling big bags from a dedicated silo. Also good to know: because of the varying rotation speed, slow movers are stored in racks and fast-rotating goods in ground locations. In total, there are 25,247 rack locations in the racking system."

Challenging construction project

From Willy Naessens Industriebouw, this construction project was coordinated by project manager Lander Caby. "After Van Moer Logistics ordered the 'warehouse 9' project in November 2022, our team immediately shot out of the starting blocks with the general site organization, specific safety provisions, preparatory studies and designs at the drawing board. With the construction of this warehouse - accounting for 8,000 square meters and a 5,000-square-meter canopy - we took on the challenge of making this new warehouse fit in with the existing warehouse infrastructure on the site, including its connection to an existing canopy and the presence of a high-voltage line above the site. A special design of the concrete columns allowed us to achieve the desired height of 18 meters for the canopy and 14 meters for the warehouse."

Priority to durable finishes

After Willy Naessens Industriebouw delivered the new warehouse shell, it was Van Wellen Group's turn. As co-owner and manager of the building, they took care of the finishing. "In this finishing, we are putting a lot of effort into sustainable materials and techniques," confirms Jan De Block, Director Projects & Facilities at Van Wellen Group. "Warehouse 9 and the canopy are equipped with 3,500 solar panels, while all warehouses on the site use LED lighting and heat pumps. Rainwater is also reused as much as possible and waste segregation is strictly implemented. The construction of warehouse 9 followed BREEAM principles, despite not seeking certification."

Toward automation and robotization

This expansion of site 1143 in the Port of Antwerp supports Van Moer Logistics' ambition to specialize in the storage of food and feed products and to optimize logistics flows. "Although automation and robotization have limited application in this niche, we are already using robotic arms at one specific customer," Frederik indicates. "Van Moer Logistics takes a pragmatic approach where manual handling in a warehouse environment is central. If possible, we supplement this with cost-effective automation options. We want to approach this in a sensible way."

Excellent cooperation

Lander looks back with satisfaction on the preparation, execution and follow-up of this challenging construction project. "The cooperation with the project partners took place on excellent terms, with respect for planning and budget as well as through short and transparent lines of communication. Moreover, the coordination between our contractors and ancillary contractors was structured. In this project, we were able to fully highlight our strengths of flexibility, customer orientation, attention to detail and a high level of finishing from Willy Naessens Industriebouw."