Prime Minister officially opens Dicker Data's new $74 million headquarters

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, today officially opened the new $74 million Kurnell Headquarters and Distribution Centre of Dicker Data Limited (ASX: DDR), Australia’s leading distributor of hardware, software, cloud and emerging technologies.

The facility is located in Mr Morrison’s Federal Electorate of Cook and employs 458 people, including more than 90 employees that live in Mr Morrison’s electorate.

Mr Morrison, said It was great to see such a vibrant company as Dicker Data going from strength to strength. Dicker Data, he said, was at the centre of Australia’s digital revolution.

“I am proud as Prime Minister and proud as a local member to look at the Shire and see the strength of our community. It is a constant reminder of how Australia is soring ahead.”

The construction of the 17ha Sutherland Shire facility commenced in November 2019 where development application (DA) approved 39,550m2 of warehouse space and 6,345m2 of office space. Completed in February 2021, Dicker Data is now officially operational from its new premises at 238 Captain Cook Drive. The facility represents almost 80 percent increase in capacity with a 50 percent boost in warehouse space. This is a pivotal moment in Dicker Data’s history, enabling the company to accommodate more people and inventory, significantly facilitating the next phase of growth, and allowing the company to support Australia’s technology needs well into the future.

Sitting at almost 29,000sqm, the new site currently comprises a 22,965sqm warehouse and office space of more than 4,310sqm. To give you an idea of how big this new building is, it’s the same size as 23 Olympic sized swimming pools! As part of a stage two plan to cater to future expansion, an additional 20,000 sqm has been approved. Dicker Data’s Chairman and CEO, David Dicker lead the overall strategy of the new headquarters, while Co-Founder, Fiona Brown ran the day to day management of all aspects of the project, which dwarfs the adjacent current facility, first occupied in 2010.

David Dicker said, “It was a great honour to have our new place opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison. We have certainly come a long way.”

David said, “In about 1983 we moved into our first factory at 78 Captain Cook Drive. A 750 sqm facility that we were really excited about. In ’99 we moved to a much larger building in 60 Alexander Ave. In 2007 we moved to 5 Sir Joseph Banks Dr, again looking for more space to expand. The big move came, 2010 when we acquired land nearby and built, in 3 stages, 230 Captain Cook Dr. This was our first purpose-built facility, and this allowed us to incorporate a vast amount of knowledge built up over the previous 30 years. When we started 230, I felt sure it would see us, or at least me out, but in just 10 years we hemmed in. Fortunately, we had been able to buy the much larger land next door and again planned a completely new facility, again learning from the mistakes made at 230, like offices at both ends of a 300m long building. I don’t know what the future holds but with our new place at 238 we are well setup to meet it.”

The company’s latest FY20 financial results, along with being included in the ASX300 and S&P/ASX All Technology Index after a decade of unparalleled share return, solidifying the company’s consistent and strong results over 42 years. The company is a true Australian success story and a consistent fast growing and high-returning stock.

With a vision to create a unique campus-style facility that reinvigorates a prosperous future for the company, the HQ embraces environmentally friendly initiatives and a modern workplace environment to attract the best IT talent and deliver on the Company’s mandate to be a workplace of choice within Australia’s IT industry and local area.

Commitment to environmental sustainability

As part of the company’s commitment to ecology and sustainability, the new facility considered a range of environmental initiatives including solar panels, eight electric vehicle charging stations, recycled water systems and over 30,000 new seedlings and trees on the grounds surrounding the facility.

The installation of a bio retention basin captures roof water of up to 23,000sqm with a portion being captured for sanitation and irrigation water.

Original concrete structures found during excavation of the site have also been retained and repurposed to create large outdoor planters, adding to the site landscape for staff and visitors to enjoy.

Employee culture and well-being initiatives 

Staff working conditions have been greatly enhanced to heighten wellbeing and healthy habits including a large open plan café, a 1.7km bushwalking track to promote walking meetings, and a mini golf course just for fun. The company has a dedicated “Town Hall” area which encompasses the large open plan café with alfresco facilities, including multiple barbecue stations and outdoor seatings. Soon, the site will also feature a gym and yoga centre as part of the Town Hall precinct.

Plenty of parking is provided, with 495 spaces that include eight electric vehicle (EV) charging locations. As a safety measure, there are dedicated roads for trucks to keep them separated from cars. The new site has also seen new public footpaths installed and the introduction of an additional bus service for the locality.

The office features a recycled air conditioning system, acoustic ceilings, height adjustable workstations, childcare facilities and dedicated training rooms for staff development and opportunity to demonstrate vendor technologies to reseller partners.

Vendor and reseller features 

The facility also includes a dedicated configuration centre which enables end-to-end system building and deployment. Services offered include asset tagging, device imaging, hardware installation and pre-shipment testing to name a few.

Furthermore, new dedicated partner rooms for hire allow Dicker Data’s customers to come onsite and complete work on their end-user’s new systems prior to shipment.

A dedicated lobby-style foyer with two-story vertical gardens surrounds the commercial hub, providing a space for staff, vendors, and partners to continue their learning and development and build upon business opportunities in a welcoming space that is optimised for collaboration.

David Dicker‘s strategy is to continuously drive business growth and success over the next 12 months. The large-scale expansion will be a key catalyst in achieving David’s vision and pave the way for substantial inventory growth and technology portfolio diversification to meet emerging and evolving IT needs of the Australian market.

ARN Press Release | St George & Sutherland Shire Leader

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