The new distribution center offers comprehensive storage capacity for up to 2.2 million cartons and 2 million textiles in the Dematic Garment-on-Hanger (GOH) system. It also features the largest Dematic Multishuttle system to date, with more than 1,200 shuttles, 94 lifts and almost 950,000 storage locations on 33 levels. Thanks to the automation, Landmark can serve 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.

"Thanks to the automation solution developed by Dematic, our supply chain is now more efficient, more productive and more transparent. With this investment, we are also promoting technological progress and taking a pioneering position in our region," says Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Landmark Group. The new distribution center is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) near DP WORLD Jebel Ali Port, one of the largest container ports in the world. At this location, Landmark Group stores and distributes garments, furniture, toys, small items and more to nearly 1,400 of its retail stores and from there directly to end consumers.

Hasan Dandashly, President and CEO of Dematic, explains: "Landmark offered us the opportunity to support the transformation of their business in addition to merging their fulfillment operations. The company has shown amazing growth in a short period of 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 relies on us as a collaborative partner to optimize its operations to both meet current demand and position itself for future success," said Dandashly.

A "unique selling point" (Dematic) of the 265,000 square meter site is the 43 meter high silo-style pallet warehouse with up to 36,000 storage locations for incoming goods. The stock not immediately required for distribution is palletized and then stored and retrieved using four 41-metre SR-U1500/1 stacking cranes with two telescopic forks. Temperature-sensitive items are stored in the climate-controlled high-bay pallet warehouse. It is equipped with a fire protection system with an oxygen-reduced atmosphere so that even sensitive and highly flammable goods can be stored.

The Dematic Multishuttle system offers extremely fast goods movements with maximum space utilization. The patented inter-aisle transfer enables goods to be exchanged across aisles and double-deep storage. Several lifts per aisle and guide rail-controlled shuttles with high-performance acceleration and speed create the conditions for a single shuttle to serve between 700 and 800 storage locations. As a result, up to 15,000 containers per hour can be transported to the picking stations, making the system the largest and fastest of its kind that Dematic has ever installed. Shah sums up: "With this distribution center, we have set a logistics benchmark for the entire Middle East."

The system also offers enormous capacity for hanging garments: the Dematic GOH system can accommodate up to two million garments and achieve throughput rates of up to 250,000 items per day. The total solution comprises more than 200 specified workstations including value-added services, such as customizing merchandise for specific retailers by applying labels, branding or promotional offers. An eleven kilometer long Dematic conveyor system for containers and pallets as well as Dematic sorters complete the system.

The Dematic iQ software takes care of the material flow. The software acts as a Warehouse Management System (WMS) for inventory management and includes a Warehouse Control System (WCS) and a Material Flow Controller (MFC). The goods are repositioned in four automated storage areas and in the temperature-controlled manual warehouse depending on current and forecast demand. "Automation provides scalability and speed while improving worker safety," said Shah.