Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 45 | Page 75

INDUSTRY WATCH GREATER VISIBILITY WILL MEAN AN IMPROVED ABILITY TO ORCHESTRATE THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR EFFICIENCY. R ising costs, changing consumer habits and environmental pressures are driving manufacturers to implement new logistics processes simply to keep up. To deliver the right product at the right time to the right place, industries needs flexible logistics systems that can ensure delivery of accurate inventory and order forecasts, optimise throughput and ultimately create a competitive advantage. We asked Alain Kaddoum, General Manager of Swisslog Middle East, further questions about how businesses can modernise their logistics operations, with a special focus on those operating in the food and beverage (F&B) sector. How is Swisslog driving industry automation in the Middle East? Swisslog is shaping the future of logistics automation and transforming warehouses and distribution centres to achieve maximum efficiency, flexibility and agility. Swisslog offers smart logistics solutions across various sectors, including F&B. This industry is more competitive than ever. Unlike in the past, modern warehouses must be able to deliver non-standard pallets with the variety of products a customer wants, quickly and cost effectively. Product lines are diversifying with more new drinks and flavours, while store orders are becoming smaller and more frequent. The key to suitable storage and distribution solutions therefore is automation. As a committed partner and full-service provider of automated intralogistics systems, Swisslog delivers everything www.intelligentcio.com companies need to optimise their logistics, from planning through implementation. Our order fulfilment and inventory solutions enable companies to achieve the highest throughput at the lowest cost, efficiently handle large catalogues of SKUs, and accurately meet delivery demands and requirements. Our logistics automation systems are designed to ensure uptime of more than 98%. The aim is to automate and streamline the warehouse storage and distribution processes for faster, more accurate delivery at lower costs. Some of the benefits of logistics automation are: • Rapid, accurate order fulfilment • High-density storage and optimised throughput • Forecasting accurate, real- time inventory • Product traceability within the supply chain Is automation beefing up the quality control aspect of the F&B industry? Absolutely, yes. The F&B supply chain involves numerous processes, workers and touchpoints. It is a well-known fact that quality is critical in this industry. Products must always remain traceable and safe, something that is not always easy to achieve in a system that has so many processes. Automation, however, can change that completely. Traceability plays an important role in the F&B industry. An automated system deploying modern analytics tools can reliably track products INTELLIGENTCIO 75