UAE-based Mai Dubai, a bottled drinking water company, has awarded a $21 million contract to Swisslog for automation of its storage and distribution logistics at its logistics unit in Dubai.

Swisslog is a leading Switzerland-based automation expert in robot-based and data-driven intralogistic solutions.

Mai Dubai’s commercial operations began in March 2014, and it has been growing exponentially ever since. The company today is a trusted household brand and a serious player in the bottled water industry.

Swisslog was roped in as a partner for this project due to their mutual commitment to future growth, said a statement from Mai Dubai.

Outgoing products from the plant will be shipped in a wide range of bottle sizes to stores, businesses and private homes, it said.

The automation project will see Swisslog Middle East deliver a new automated raw and packing material warehouse, extend its production capability as well as build a high bay warehouse to store finished goods.

With a height of 25 m and a storage capacity of 17,560 pallet locations, the finished goods warehouse will provide sufficient storage space for the company’s high volumes, while the raw material/packing material warehouse has a height of 14 m and 5,592 pallet locations, said a statement.

The Swisslog Vectura pallet stacker cranes, connected with a conveyor system, will provide highly efficient storage and retrieval. A monorail system with 44 Swisslog trolleys and a transportation length of 1,000 m will link all areas together, including the existing production lines, it said.

Jay Andres, CEO of Mai Dubai, said: “We are delighted to be working with Swisslog to reach our 2020 goals.”

“Aside from significantly improving the efficiency of our operation, the project will enable us to remain competitive in the market long-term, and will open up opportunities to grow our business further in the future,” he said.

“In our mission statement we talk about maintaining an innovative, safe, efficient and happy work place, and we’re confident Swisslog is the right partner to support us with this mission,” he added.

Frédéric Zielinski, general manager of Swisslog Middle East, said: “We are extremely proud to have Mai Dubai as a customer. What makes this partnership special is the synergies between the vision and values of our companies.”

“We have many more projects in the pipeline and we are continually receiving requests from local businesses. As our presence in the Middle East expands, our company is fully committed to supporting the growth of regional businesses,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service