SLS are Proud to Break Ground on their New National Distribution Centre

Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS) are excited to announce plans to move to a new, state-of-the-art National Distribution Centre based on the Fairham Business Park development in Clifton, Nottingham.  

The new multi-million-pound facility, is three times bigger than the current SLS site and will ensure the company’s plans for continued growth can be achieved for many years to come. Once the building is complete, SLS will invest a further £3.5 million for an extensive ‘fit out’ process including new offices, mezzanine levels and warehouse automation.

The new site in Fairham is conveniently located just four miles from SLS’ current site in Wilford, allowing for an efficient transition to the new premises. Within easy reach of junction 24 of the M1, East Midlands Airport and adjacent to the NET Tram Park & Ride site, Fairham Business Park offers the perfect location for SLS within the locality of our current site, minimising disruption for employees and all users of the facility.

Increasing warehouse capacity by 180% will enable SLS to accommodate a larger, more diverse stock holding and deliver reduced customer lead times. The new order dispatch capacity is 170% larger than SLS’ existing provision and includes automated warehouse picking and order packing systems. An accelerated investment in IT integration will also provide improved customer order visibility through enhanced order tracking and proof of delivery.

The pandemic has changed the way SLS think, and they have taken a new approach with the design of the new offices for the SLS site at Fairham. Office space will be significantly increased to accommodate a flexible working environment for their ever-increasing family of colleagues in a modern open-plan office format. Creative meeting spaces and discussion hubs will be located across the new site contributing to improved SLS employee well-being at work, whilst enhancing productivity.

Fairham will be a location unlike any other; built from the ground up on the principles of sustainability, community and forward-thinking excellence. The developer’s ‘clean slate’ approach will redefine the modern neighbourhood. Mixing commercial and residential, living and working, it will establish itself as the benchmark for future developments, becoming the region’s finest place to live, work and flourish. With more than 50 acres of employment space, outstanding connectivity and world-class opportunities for collaboration, research, development, manufacture and logistics, Fairham Business Park offers one of the country’s finest business environments.

SLS Managing Director Ian Roulstone, who can be seen in the picture breaking the ground on the new site in a momentous moment for the business commented “For over 30 years, SLS has been able to expand our existing Nottingham facility to accommodate the growth we have achieved. That building has served us well, but the time has come for us to take a huge step forward in our development and position ourselves for further growth in the decades to come.”

He added: “Our new facility at Fairham will be state-of-the-art, tailored to the needs of our business and our employees, and part of an exciting new community that will be a pleasure to work from. Our customers and our suppliers can have faith in our improved efficiency and capacity and our staff will have a vastly improved working environment - one that we can all be proud to work in. As the building starts to take shape, we look forward to the exciting opportunities this facility will bring and to the continued success it will enable for SLS in the future.”

The SLS National Distribution Centre building has been designed with sustainability at the very centre of the plan with a minimum BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’ but with the aim to achieve an ‘Excellent’ rating. There is a strong focus on sustainable transport for employees and logistics. There will be 12 EV charging points, a bike shelter to hold 20 bikes as well as being just a one-minute walk from the tram stop. Further sustainable features will include greater energy conservation techniques that come from modern builds as well as solar panels fitted to the exterior of the building.