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Dematic GmbH has completed a major order for the Landmark Group from Dubai, one of the largest and most successful retail companies in the Middle East and India. This involves comprehensive automation solutions over 265,000 square meters. The installation of the Dematic Garment-on-Hanger system for two million items is also planned.
(Heusenstamm; Dubai/UAE) Dematic has completed a new automated distribution center for the Landmark Group in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With this, the multinational retailer consolidates logistics activities for part of its five existing manual distribution sites. The new distribution center offers comprehensive storage capacities for up to 2.2 million cartons and 2 million textiles in the Dematic Garment-on-Hanger (GOH) system. Additionally, it integrates the largest Dematic Multishuttle system to date, with more than 1,200 shuttles, 94 lifts, and nearly 950,000 storage locations across 33 levels. Thanks to automation, Landmark can handle up to 15,000 containers per hour. The 43-meter-high high-bay pallet warehouse with 36,000 storage locations is also one of the largest of its kind in the United Arab Emirates. The subsystems are connected by eleven kilometers of container and pallet conveyor technology as well as a sorter. Both warehouse management and material flow optimization are controlled by Dematic iQ software.
New Distribution Center in the Jebel Ali Free Zone
“Thanks to the automation solution developed by Dematic, our supply chain is now more efficient, productive, and transparent. With this investment, we are also promoting technological advancement and taking a pioneering position in our region,” said Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Landmark Group. The new distribution center is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) near the DP WORLD Jebel Ali Port, one of the largest container ports in the world. At this location, the Landmark Group stores and distributes clothing, furniture, toys, small items, and more to nearly 1,400 of its retail stores and directly to end consumers from there.
Hasan Dandashly, President and CEO of Dematic, explains: “Landmark gave us the opportunity to support not only the consolidation of the fulfillment operation but also the redesign of their business. The company has shown remarkable growth in a short time and has become one of the largest retailers in the Middle East, Africa, and India.” Landmark now supplies more than 2,300 stores in 24 countries. “We are proud that Landmark trusts us as a partner to optimize its operations to meet current demand and position itself for future successes,” said Dandashly.
43-Meter High Pallet Warehouse
A unique feature of the 265,000 square meter site is the 43-meter high pallet warehouse built in silo construction with up to 36,000 storage locations for incoming goods. The stock not immediately needed for distribution is palletized and then stored and retrieved using four 41-meter stacker cranes of the SR-U1500/1 model with two telescopic forks. Temperature-sensitive items are stored in the air-conditioned high-bay pallet warehouse. It is equipped with a fire protection system with an oxygen-reduced atmosphere, allowing even sensitive and easily flammable goods to be stored.
The Dematic Multishuttle system offers extremely fast goods movements with maximum space utilization. The patented inter-aisle transfer enables cross-aisle goods exchange as well as double-deep storage. Multiple lifts per aisle and rail-guided shuttles with high-performance acceleration and speed create the conditions for a single shuttle to serve between 700 and 800 storage locations. Consequently, up to 15,000 containers can be transported to the picking stations per hour, making the facility the largest and fastest of its kind that Dematic has ever installed. Shah summarizes: “With this distribution center, we have set a logistics benchmark for the entire Middle East.”
Capacity for Hanging Textiles
The facility also offers enormous capacities for hanging textiles: The Dematic GOH system can accommodate up to two million garments and achieve throughput rates of up to 250,000 items per day. The overall solution includes more than 200 specified workstations, including value-added services, such as customizing goods for specific retailers by attaching labels, branding, or promotional offers. An eleven-kilometer-long Dematic conveyor system for containers and pallets, as well as Dematic sorters, complete the facility.
The Dematic iQ software ensures smooth and optimal material flow so that Landmark can meet its delivery commitments to retailers. The software acts as a Warehouse Management System (WMS) for inventory management and includes a Warehouse Control System (WCS) as well as a Material Flow Controller (MFC). Goods are dynamically repositioned in four automated storage areas and in the temperature-controlled manual storage area based on current and forecasted demand. The Dematic solution also ensures efficient handling of hanging and flat goods within a system according to customer requirements and desired sequencing. At the same time, the software ensures that the right product is always in the right place, with the additional requirement of balancing workloads across subsystems. “Automation provides scalability and speed while simultaneously improving workplace safety,” said Shah. As a result, B2B and B2C customers of Landmark now receive even better service.
About the Landmark Group
Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, the Landmark Group is now one of the largest and most successful retail companies in the Middle East and India. The international, diversified retail and hospitality conglomerate operates more than 2,100 outlets across nearly 2.8 million square meters in the Middle East, North Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. The Landmark Group employs over 55,000 people and offers a rich product range through retail concepts such as Centrepoint, Babyshop, Splash, SHOEMART, Lifestyle, Max, Shoexpress, Home Centre, Home Box, Emax, and the first food discounter in the UAE, VIVA. As a retailer with a high turnover volume, the Landmark Group operates the largest privately-owned logistics and distribution hub in the MENA region. With the introduction of its fully automated mega-distribution center in the JAFZA zone in Dubai, the company now also offers its own 3PL logistics services under the brand name Omega Logistics.
Photo: © Dematic
