Swisslog, the global leader in robotic, data-driven and flexible automated solutions has announced its participation at Materials Handling Middle East 2021 – the region’s leading trade fair for warehousing, intralogistics and supply chain solutions.

At the trade fair, there will be a display of smart solutions that optimize time management, increase productivity and facilitate efficient use of space that are critical to warehousing in many key industries such as e-grocery, e-commerce and retail.

The Covid-19 outbreak has increased pressure on businesses to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs and to innovate & grow. The pandemic has demonstrated the creativity, resilience and ingenuity of businesses as well as the importance of having a clearly defined automation strategy in place and sticking to it. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the increasing demand and usage of e-commerce and e-retail prompted the logistics sector to work towards higher productivity and cost efficiency. The warehouse automation market in the region was expected to reach a value of US$ 1.6 billion by 2025.

Furthermore, the UAE highlighted the importance of automation and launched an awareness campaign on the importance of smart warehouse management systems (WMS) for more than 21,000 companies. The growth of e-commerce is the major driver for warehouse automation. In a survey conducted in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, more than 40 percent of respondents said that fast delivery is one of the main factors influencing their choice of online shopping platform and automation their warehouses can help businesses in achieving this.

David Dronfield, General Manager, Swisslog Middle East

David Dronfield, General Manager, Swisslog Middle East, commented, “Swisslog Middle East has received many requests from companies on how they can integrate automation technology into their existing infrastructure in a very convenient and efficient way – without disrupting their current business processes. With the pandemic, manual handling processes have become increasingly impractical due to labour shortages, inefficiencies, lack of scalability and congestion in stores/warehouses. We have been working around the clock to help companies integrate this technology to remain viable and profitable, and to install and commission new automation systems.”

At Materials Handling Middle East, Swisslog will be showcasing AutoStore with a big live demo. It is a highly efficient robotized storage and order processing solution that integrates easily into existing buildings. This also provides the flexibility and scalability to meet changing demand while continuing to compress order cycle and delivery times.

Also, visitors can learn more about other solutions by Swisslog such as CycloneCarrier which is a dynamic, reliable, efficient and best-in-class automated shuttle system designed for industries where high throughput and excellent availability are essential. It is particularly well-suited for the requirements of the e-commerce, pharmaceutical and fresh food industry. It is designed for applications where high throughput and excellent availability are essential, for example in Retail & E-commerce for returns handling, replenishment, or buffer for order consolidation. Visitors can also learn more about our portfolio for pallet handling automation.

“One of our key USP’s is the ease with which our solutions can be implemented without impacting existing infrastructure. Our solutions are tailored to our clients’ unique business needs and challenges so that they can make this transition as smoothly as possible and reap the benefits of automation. We are working to change the perception of automation in the Middle East and help organizations effectively. We believe that the time is apt for automation in the Middle East” added Dronfield.

These innovative logistics automation solutions are a benchmark for effective smart warehousing and an area of innovation that can help businesses across the Middle East improve and streamline their operations – increasing the speed of order fulfilment, improving order accuracy and effectively managing an ever-growing number of SKUs. Order processing can be up to five times faster than manual systems.

Materials Handling Middle East is taking place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo Site 2020 from 2nd to 4th November 2021.