Penguin Random House Distribution: ‘books reach a wide range of retailers, making it easier for readers to find and purchase books’

In the lead-up to the 2025 ABIAs, Books+Publishing is in conversation with the event’s major sponsors about the status of the industry, what excites them about the future, and what they have to offer publishers, booksellers and readers. Matthew O’Brien, Operations Director at Penguin Random House Distribution, spoke with the publication.

This segment is supported by the event sponsors. 

The evolution from United Book Distributors (UBD) to Penguin Random House Distribution (PRHD) is still ongoing. Do you have any updates you’d like to share? 

We’re thrilled to announce that the foundation of our new warehouse is complete! Several team members are already working permanently from the new site.

Our new goods-to-person automation system is well underway and getting close to commencement of initial testing. Once fully built, this automated system will deliver books directly to packers, significantly improving efficiency. This technology is a first for the Australian book industry, and we’re excited to be leading the way.

All the machinery in the new facility proudly displays the Penguin Random House Distribution (PRHD) logo, as does the building itself.

Everything is currently scheduled for a go-live date in August this year.

How is the rebrand affecting your long-time and new clients? 

The only change for our clients will be increased clarity. The new PRHD branding clearly signifies that our distribution services are part of Penguin Random House. This will reduce confusion regarding our ownership, service providers, accounts receivable, and related functions.

Distribution is often overlooked as part of the book sector. What do you wish more people understood about the contribution of distributors in the literary ecosystem? 

Actually, our customers have always shown great appreciation for our distribution services, including our speed, continuous improvement mindset, and overall customer-focused attitude.

We believe they value the critical role our warehouse plays in ensuring books reach a wide range of retailers, making it easier for readers to find and purchase books.

As part of the rebrand, you are moving premises. How is that going? 

So far, so good! We’re still finishing the interior fit-out of the warehouse, so no big moves have happened yet, but we anticipate that everything will run smoothly as, so far, our program is running to plan.

When we were looking for a new location for our warehouse, we were careful to select a property close to our current warehouse. Proximity from our current warehouse to our new shed in the Rubix Connect Estate in Dandenong South should make for an easy transition.

The new premises will have ‘5 Star Green Star Design & As-Built v1.3’ rating from the Green Building Council of Australia’. Can you explain what this means? 

The ‘5 Star Green Star Design & As-Built v1.3’ rating comes from the Green Building Council of Australia. The rating system not only focuses on energy outcomes once the building is complete (for example running on solar power and using collected water), but it also considers the materials we’ve sourced during construction, their origins, the warehouse’s energy efficiency and its overall carbon footprint. 

How do you balance your commitment to sustainability with the practicalities of the energy requirements of distribution? 

We are deeply committed to innovating and improving our operations to reduce their environmental impact. Since 2018, we have already reduced our emissions by an impressive 58% and continue to seek ways to reduce them even further. We have achieved our goal of using 100% sustainably sourced paper, and all our sites now run on renewable energy.

Our green energy use will be further complemented by our investment in the new 5 Star Green Star-rated building for our distribution operations. The facility will feature a substantial solar installation that will return Green Power to the grid when we are not operating.

Inbound and outbound freight remains the biggest impact on our footprint. To address this, we have continued to reduce our reliance on freight by localising the supply chain as much as possible and investing in packaging innovations that lower our freight footprint. This effort has already positively impacted the number of trucks required to transport books from our distribution centre, resulting in a 12% YoY reduction in freight emissions in 2024.

Additionally, the new warehouse includes further investments in packaging technology to reduce the environmental impact of the cardboard supply and our transportation footprint even further.

The Australian Book Industry Awards are presented for achievements in bringing Australian books to readers. This year marks the event’s 25th anniversary.

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Category: ABIA