It said the centre would mean a greater range of products and more efficient turnaround for South Island customers.
Increased irrigation, more intensive land use and viticulture and horticulture growth had led to a steady rise in business for the group, Nufarm NZ country manager Gavin Kerr said.
The new depot at the Waterloo business park in the Hornby/Islington area was four times bigger than the previous plant at Middleton, closer to the city centre.
Up to 2000 pallets could be stored in the 1600 square metres building, up from 500.
Melbourne-based Nufarm has been the leading agri-chemicals distributor for pastoral farming in NZ but has been increasing its horticulture business from a low base through new product development by its largest shareholder, Sumitomo of Japan.
The new site also meant improved infrastructure for loading and unloading shipping containers and trucks, the group’s South Island logistics manager Tony Schreuder said.
Most of the products going to the new centre would be shipped directly to Lyttelton from Nufarm’s manufacturing base near Melbourne.
Previously, most products were stored in Auckland before being freighted to Christchurch. Nufarm’s Auckland manufacturing plant was closed last year.
Though now an Australian company, Nufarm’s history went back to the NZ Fertiliser Co-operative, established 100 years ago. A centenary celebration was held to coincide with the new centre opening.
NZ was the group’s oldest market, though it now sold products in Europe, North and South America and Asia as well as Australia.
