DC designed for e-commerce to open in 2017

Internet Retailing

11th Oct 2016

A new distribution centre (DC) is slated to open in Sydney in October 2017 to meet the needs of e-commerce and omnichannel in the fashion sector. The 32,000sqm facility is the product of a collaboration between logistics provider Toll Group and automated technology supplier Dematics.

The first customer to take advantage of the fully automated DC will be Specialty Fashion Group, which operates the Millers, Katies, Autograph, Crossroads, City Chic and Rivers Australia brands. The DC will meet the demands of the retailer’s strong growth and help improve its omnichannel delivery, including online and ‘click and collect’ ordering.

Innovative features, such as freight-efficient order finishing, where dispatch order cartons are cut to fill height so no air is shipped in the carton, garment on hanger storage and picking, and the ability to batch pick full cases for loading into the dispatch sorter, will also help the Specialty Fashion Group improve its back-end efficiency.

“We are very excited to be offering Australian retailers a new DC specifically designed to meet their e-commerce and omnichannel needs,” Mark Cowley, executive general manager of customised solutions at Toll Global Logistics, a division of Toll Group, said.

“We are particularly proud that our new facility will be an Australian first in automation for e-commerce processing and distribution.”

Dematic’s automation technology forms the facility’s beating heart, with RapidPICK Goods-to-Person pick stations and Multishuttle systems for storing 150,000 totes, alongside pallet and carton storage from Colby Storage Solutions.

Same-day shipping is supported by the capacity for 30 on-line processing stations, automated bagging and bag take-away machines, as well as ergonomic e-commerce processing stations.

The DC, which will be located in Prestons Logistics Estate in Sydney, has been designed to be flexible so it can be scaled up based on seasonality, business growth or new customers, and is capable of 24/7 operations if necessary.