13 Oct 2010

Frucor’s Christchurch warehouse has reopened a little over a month after the devastating September 4th earthquake.

The 7.1 magnitude quake, which tore through Christchurch and the surrounding areas, left Frucor’s warehouse in disarray, with product and storage racking strewn across the floor.

Warehouse manager Michael Rowe visited the warehouse the morning of the quake and said the sight was incredible.

“Our roller doors were all twisted and about 25-30% of our stock was lying on the ground,” says Rowe.

Contingency plans were set in place to re-route stock from Auckland to Christchurch, then the clean-up began.

“By Wednesday (September 8th) the team were back into work picking the stock up from the ground. It was a monumental task and after we filled a few bins without even making a dent in the mess we knew we needed help,” explains Rowe.

Front-end-loader diggers and trucks (pictured) were then brought in for several days to assist with the clean-up.

Rowe says it was a very emotional time for all involved as many were also dealing with varying degrees of damage at their houses. However a positive for the team was helping out charitable trusts by donating stock, which Rowe says gave the team a “pleasant buzz”.

The warehouse was officially reopened on Friday the 8th of October, with most of the Christchurch and Kaiapoi teams in attendance.

New Zealand CEO Carl Bergstrom also attended the event; he said the team were in good spirits as the enjoyed a barbeque and a few laughs, celebrating the fact that no one was hurt in the ordeal.

“To be standing in the fully refurbished warehouse just a month after the devastating earthquake turned it into a pile of twisted wreckage was a moving experience”, says Bergstrom.

“It symbolised the outstanding effort and attitude of the teams in Christchurch and Kaiapoi, as well as those who supported them from Auckland to re-establish the business in record time.”