£80m Telford warehouse 'will be vital for our troops'

Defence minister Stuart Andrew gave his seal of approval to the £80 million logistics centre.

He revealed the building, which is the size of 10 football pitches, will revolutionise the way vital equipment is provided to troops.

Mr Andrew visited the new Defence Fulfilment Centre, in Horton, during a tour of the armoury at MoD Donnington.

The new 80,000 sq metre facility is being scaled up and will be fully operational next year, with the aim of streamlining distribution and storage for the armed forces.

The giant warehouse is also part of a strategy to make more than £300m worth of savings by 2028.

Mr Andrew said: “We’ve invested more than £80m in this enormous Shropshire centre as we are determined to ensure our personnel have everything they need, from batteries to boots, wherever they are in the world.

“This hub will have a transformative impact on our troops once it is fully up and running next year, putting a truly state-of-the-art supply network at the fingertips of our brave men and women on the frontline.”

The site comprises two warehouses and a support building.

It will be a central hub for storage and distribution of the MoD’s £30 billion inventory, including spare parts, food, clothing and medical supplies.

The centre is being run under a £6.7bn deal by Team Leidos and Kuehne & Nagel.

It will feature an automated system that can handle more than 1,000 items an hour.

DE&S logistics delivery director Roger West said: “It was a privilege to welcome the Minister to MoD Donnington and accompany him on a tour of the site and the Defence Fulfilment Centre.

“The centre will make a significant contribution to us providing better, more efficient, storage, distribution and commodity procurement services for our armed forces.

“The delivery of this facility is testament to the excellent relationship between DE&S and our delivery partner Team Leidos.”