Landmark Group, one of the largest retail organisations, has announced the opening of its fully-automated mega distribution centre (DC) at Jafza, Dubai – the largest of its kind in the GCC.

With distribution being the backbone of retail, the group had invested over Dh1 billion ($272 million) with a firm strategy to further strengthen its supply chain capabilities and build a facility that can serve as a logistics and distribution hub for the region.

The Mega DC will also play an integral role in enhancing Dubai’s position as a hub for global logistics and trade, said a statement from Landmark Group.

The Mega DC is designed to process 300 million units per year, inter-changeably handling pallets, cartons, pieces and garments-on-hanger (GOH).

Built with a storage capacity upto 2.2 million cartons and 2 million GOH, the new distribution centre has 10 automated and 3 manual docks to receive over 74,000 cartons per day. The outbound features 36 docks, of which 10 are dedicated for GOH, and can handle upto 90,000 cartons and 250,000 GOH every day.

Boom conveyors in the facility also ensure faster off-loading of containers. All handled across 33 levels with 1,300 ‘robotic multi shuttles’, 94 Lifts and 28 Workstations, it stated.

A first-of-its-kind facility in the region, Mega DC was officially inaugurated by Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, and the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Landmark Group’s Mega DC is in line with the Smart Dubai 2021 strategy aimed at the digital transformation of the city of Dubai. Your adoption of technological tools like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, IoT, robotics and automation to drive logistics solutions is in step with what we do at DP World."

Customers are looking for speed, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness. A new approach is necessary to meet their demands along the supply chain. We believe Landmark is innovating to enable smarter trade, he added.  

Group Chairwoman and CEO Renuka Jagtiani said: "The opening of Mega DC marks a huge milestone for Landmark Group. As a home-grown brand present in this region for over 46 years, we remain committed to this market and are always looking ahead."

"Through the years, we have seen Dubai emerge as a global and economic business hub, giving us the opportunity to innovate and invest in the most-advanced technology and processes for our business," stated Jagtiani.

"Today, innovation drives economic growth and development, greatly influencing modern industry.  We are very proud to have built this fully-automated facility, which will serve our customers even better by ensuring speed and agility of operations but will also project the future of supply chain for our region," she added.

The DC’s High Bay Warehouse at 43 m is the tallest in the region and the first rack clad building in the Middle East. It is also the first distribution unit to use Hypoxic Fire Prevention System with an oxygen-controlled environment.

It’s Automatic Storage and Retrieval System can store over 36,000 pallet positions, serviced by 41-metre tower cranes.

At the heart of Mega DC is a super-fast and efficient shuttle system for automated handling of cartons & totes – with an Inter-Aisle Transfer Technology.

Mihin Shah, Chief Supply Chain Officer, said: "The Mega DC stands as a testimony to the Landmark Group’s investment for the future. We have built the facility with a focus on digital innovation, using best-in-class robotics and automation that redefines the future of supply change in the region."

"In a fast-paced retail world where need for speed, flexibility and agility in the market is higher than ever before, our facility has been designed to meet the changing market needs, increase productivity and cater to the business of tomorrow," stated Shah.

In line with Landmark’s sustainability journey, the Mega DC is EHS certified and plans to meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements through an 8.2 MWP rooftop solar system, the single largest in the region, he added.-TradeArabia News Service