Ever since Al Maya Group was established in 1982 by the late pioneering & inspiring Mr. L.K Pagarani, it became a force to reckon within the industry. With its headquarters based in Dubai, it employs more than 5,000 personnel and has businesses ranging from the FMCG distribution of food and non-food products to processing plants spread across the world.  Currently Al Maya Group has over 90 retail stores in the UAE & GCC including Supermarkets, Borders, and Paperchase.

’’Our values define our culture & help us fulfil our mission, to succeed & maintain our position as one of the most respectful companies in the region” says Kamal Vachani, group director of Al Maya Group. “However, this success and fast growth brought with it some challenges including our logistics and distribution centers ending up spread across the UAE.  Our deepest purpose as an organization is to improve business across the region with a goal of providing the highest level of services.  This prompted us to look at centralizing our warehousing operations to a single regional distribution center that would allow us to meet the growing demands of our market more efficiently, while achieving economies of scale. By consolidating all our products here, we are able to reach a larger geography more effectively’’, he explains.

After finalising the design layout with an external party, Al Maya started soliciting the main storage & MHE vendors to undertake the implementation of this crucial project and to deliver it flawlessly and on time. After weeks of meetings, discussions, and brainstorming sessions, Al Maya Group elected to partner with Span Group for this strategic project.  The facility, situated in National Industries Park, Dubai, had to cater to a large geography and a diversified customer base.  The center had to be equipped in a manner that would accommodate the different inbound and distribution channels.  The final design incorporated standard selective racking, VNA, multi shelving, mezzanines, as well as flow beds for both pallets and cartons to ensure that the products were being optimally slotted.  This enabled for the accommodation of over 25,000 pallets sizes.

The above design along with the utilization of specialized Jungheirinch Material Handling Equipment from Germany, allowed Al Maya Group to overcome most of its operational challenges including product movement and rotation, space management, as well as delivery times.  The racking configuration utilized allowed for quicker replenishment, better vertical and horizontal space utilization, implementation of FIFO rules, as well as quicker pick times due to optimal product slotting. Another key aspect to the design was the incorporation of the pallet flow system where fast moving SKUs were allocated.  It enabled for the quick replenishment and picking of the products while ensuring a FIFO principle was adhered to, which is critical in the food and beverage industry.  The high density structure featured an inclined gravity roller bed with brake rollers controlling the speed of the moving pallets that flowed from the entry side to the picking side.  By having separate loading and unloading aisles, replenishment, picking, handling times and aisle congestion were reduced. Similar to the pallet flow system, the carton live storage offered high density storage combined with a FIFO operating principle. This system allowed for the effective storage and handling of small and medium sized loads including plastic boxes and metal containers. It also enabled a drastic reduction in pick times by bringing the parts as close as possible to the final work zone, ensuring that the employees were working ergonomically while maintaining FIFO throughout the process.

The objective of catering for a larger, more demanding client base in a shorter timeframe while ensuring that Al Maya’s assets were being optimally utilized was executed and implemented successfully through the joint effort of both teams. “Al Maya Group & Span Group, both being family owned and operated, share a similar philosophy & approach to challenges. Despite the pressure to deliver a flawless facility in a condensed timeframe, the chemistry between the parties allowed this to happen in a seamless manner”, commented Nadim Al Fakih, SPAN’s Regional Sales Manager.  “We are proud to be part of Al Maya’s growth strategy and look forward to working with them on their future projects.”