Waldeck appointed for 210 million Ocado distribution centre

A firm of consulting engineers in Peterborough has been appointed by online grocer Ocado Group Plc to provide civil and structural engineering services for a new 210m distribution centre in Dordon, North Warwickshire.

Waldeck, which also has offices in Hull, Sleaford, Lincoln, Nottingham and Northampton, is responsible for the structural design of the Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC), Ocado's second, and the infrastructure on the 35-acre site on the Birch Coppice Business Park.

North Warwickshire Borough Council has agreed to an extension to the business park, confirming Ocado's plans for the 350,000 square foot warehouse facility which will be fully automated and will make the online retailer's services available to even more people.

Work is expected to begin on site in January 2011 and it's hoped the CFC, which will create up to 2,000 jobs, will be fully operational by September 2012.

Director Matt Tyers, who is based at Waldeck's Peterborough office, said: "We have been doing work for Ocado at their CFC in Hatfield since 2007 and have built up a good relationship with the company. This has resulted in us being awarded this job which is one of the biggest construction projects currently in the UK.

"Waldeck has years of experience in the planning, design, supervision and delivery of large-scale engineering projects, which means we can fully appreciate what is required to provide a cost-effective, innovative design solution.

"This will be a high-tech, cutting edge facility capable of delivering between 180,000 and 200,000 orders a week. One of the logistical challenges we face is co-ordinating the external building works with the construction of the internal, highly sophisticated automated system and we're liaising closely with Ocado's in-house project management team to ensure everything goes to plan."

Director of Legal and Business Affairs at Ocado Neill Abrams said: "The new 210m distribution centre is a major investment for Ocado to ensure future growth of the company and we are very pleased to have Waldeck as a part of our design team to make sure this crucial project is delivered on time and on budget."