Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has selected Trebuchet Logistics to manage its Australian domestic and export warehousing, distribution and logistics requirements under an innovative fourth party logistics (4PL) model.

The new model will replace TWE’s existing domestic and export warehousing and logistics service contracts with CUB and MacKenzie Hillebrand, which is set to expire in another 12-18 months.

It will allow Trebuchet Logistics to contract third party service providers, who will manage all the handling, storage, transport and IT requirements of TWE and deliver wine to customers and consumers in Australia and to export markets.

Under the joint venture, a new national distribution centre (NDC) will be built in Penfield near Adelaide and a series of satellite state warehouses will be established and managed by Trebuchet Logistics.

These establishments will be designed to store and distribute wine in appropriately controlled environments to preserve product quality and freshness.

TWE global director logistics Tim Ford said he is happy to introduce the model into Australian wine industry.

"Trebuchet has been our 4PL partner in the Nordics since 2008. They have demonstrated their unique capability in establishing collaborative logistics networks in alcoholic beverages and they have proven capability in linking multiple manufacturers and 3PL service providers, through Information Technology systems and management processes," Ford added.

"This fresh and efficient approach to logistics is another part of our strategy to optimise our global supply network. We are reviewing and improving our entire logistics networks and introducing innovation, investment and leading practices to ensure our premium wines reach customers and consumers in the quality and timeframes expected."

All the logistics services and 4PL model will be fully operational by April 2014, with initial implementation set for July 2013.