WA industrial players build on infrastructure momentum

Automated warehouses, with robotics driven by artificial intelligence, are changing delivery and inventory management and ultimately the design of warehouses and where they are located.

Christine Miller, head of supply chain CBRE Asia Pacific, says as consumer demand changes, retail and logistics operations start to blur.

That changes the way companies run their logistics, where they want to be located, how they want their buildings to work and how the buildings are designed.

Her remarks come as Perth industrial capital growth expectations start to recover, with WA property participants reporting improved sentiment in the ANZ/Property Council Survey for the December 2019 quarter.

The survey, which has been conducted quarterly since 2011, found WA’s industrial growth expectations, at 14.4 points for the December 2019 quarter, were below the Australian average of 21.8 points, but improved on September quarter’s 13.7 points. 

Resources projects and government infrastructure spending were said to be underpinning a resurgence in demand, particularly in freight and logistics.

“The push is on for low-cost, fast-delivery services close to densely populated areas,” Ms Miller says, adding that this creates demand for high-rise logistics centres.

Ms Miller, to address Property Council WA’s Industrial Property Lunch at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on November 8, says the warehouses of the future will be vertical.

This event will provide an opportunity to hear more about High Tech, High Rise and the Future of Industrial Property in WA, to be followed by a lively panel discussion and networking.

Panellists include Development WA’s Industrial Lands Authority’s Andrew Williams, PwC director Infrastructure and Urban Renewal Craig Shepherd, Linc Properties director Ben Lisle and CBRE’s Christine Miller, with Hero Properties chief executive Julie Drago as moderator.

Don’t miss out on your chance to find out what the future holds for Perth’s industrial market. To book, go to https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/web/EventDetail?EventKey=WNO081119

Sandra Brewer, Property Council WA Executive Director