Yusen Logistics has officially opened a 111,000-square-metre automated distribution centre in Northampton, adding 236,000 pallet positions to its UK and European warehousing network.

The 1.2 million-square-foot Sustainable Distribution Centre has been operational since June, with the official opening ceremony held in September. Around 150 people will work at the site.

Automation at scale

Yusen designed the Northampton facility as a multi-user operation serving e-commerce, retail, healthcare and pharmaceutical customers. The automation stack includes Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and four-way pallet shuttles. Temperature-controlled zones support healthcare and pharmaceutical work.

The company said combining automation with digital technologies will let the site handle increasingly complex supply chains while giving customers scalable warehousing capacity — a pitch aimed squarely at shippers and 3PL users who need flexible volume without committing to dedicated facilities.

"The Sustainable Distribution Centre has been developed to meet the evolving needs of customers and global supply chains," said David Evans, Managing Director of Yusen Logistics UK.

Location and low-carbon credentials

The site sits close to Junction 15 of the M1 and has access to rail freight connections, linking it into domestic and wider supply chain operations. Sustainability features include solar power generation, rainwater harvesting, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other low-carbon technologies. The building carries a BREEAM Outstanding rating, and Yusen said the centre was developed with a net-zero carbon design.

Network context

The investment deepens Yusen's UK footprint and adds significant capacity to its European network, which currently spans more than 140 facilities across 17 countries. For shippers in e-commerce, retail and pharma looking for automated, temperature-capable capacity in the Midlands — the UK's logistics heartland — the Northampton opening adds a substantial new option at a time when scalable, low-carbon warehousing is becoming a tender requirement rather than a differentiator.