Global
Distribution Centre
for Spanish
fashion retailer Mango

Optimum performance for Mango

Project Motivation

Near Barcelona, a highly automated global multi-channel distribution centre was created for the Spanish fashion retailer Mango. It centralises all of the fulfilment centres in one location. Currently, this central logistics hub is being used to supply more than 2,200 stores in over 100 countries. The highly automated solution ensures optimum performance and high throughput capacity.

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At a glance

Key Benefits

  • ENABLER FOR THE BUSINESS GROWTH: Thanks to the scalability, Mango is equipped for the planned process of growth

  • REDUCED INVENTORY AND LOGISTICS COSTS 

  • CONSOLIDATION OF TWO DCS INTO ONE: Supply of more than 2,200 stores in over 100 countries from one DC

  • SIMPLIFIED PROCESSES FROM INBOUND TO OUTBOUND

SOLUTION AND MATERIAL FLOW 

One-Touch Receiving

In the goods-in area, SKU cartons are brought into the distribution centre using inbound lines directly from the lorries at the docks. Operators handle each carton only once when they load the SKU onto the extended conveyor inside the container. Up to 6,000 cartons per hour are received and transported to the automatic mini-load warehouse. In total, the automatic double stacked mini-load warehouse provides 850,000 storage positions for cartons of a wide range of sizes. The high-performance storage and retrieval machines (AS/R) can store and retrieve up to 6,500 cartons per hour.  

Order Fulfilment

The mini-load bulk storage feeds the shuttle picking engine via toting stations. This highly dynamic buffer transports totes to the order processing areas which are either based on sortation or picking workstations – depending on the order type:

  • Cross-belt sorters are used to process most of the orders. Starting at 25,000 items per hour with low picking ratios and up to 30,000 items per hour with higher ratios thanks to TGW algorithms. These items are inducted at the ergonomic in-feed stations. The sorters transport individual items to chutes, where they are offloaded according to pre-cubing algorithms. At the end of the chutes, items are packed in order cartons.
  • Prioritised orders, non-sortable items and slow-moving items are processed at high-performance picking workstations (goods-to-person workstations

Order consolidation and shipping

All orders coming either from the sorters or the goods-to-person workstations are consolidated in the automatic mini-load warehouse and from there are transported to the dispatch area. A linear sorter routes the order cartons to the designated lanes where 5,800 cartons per hour are loaded into lorries. 

HIGHLIGHTS

One-Touch Receiving

The smart inbound and storage system 'One-Touch Receiving' allows Mango to automate its entire goods receipt process. The goods receipt lines use a cross-belt sorter to transfer up to 6,000 cartons per hour automatically to the quality inspection (when required) and to the automatic mini-load warehouse for storage. 

Multi-function carton warehouse

A special highlight of the overall solution is the enormous automatic push-pull function carton warehouse on two levels, which allows for storing 850,000 storage positions, thus maximising the utilisation of the cubic metres of the warehouse. It is used for inventory storage, order consolidation as well as a dispatch buffer for flat and hanging goods (packed as flats in cartons prior shipping).

ABOUT MANGO

Mango was founded in 1984 and has its headquarters in Lliça d’Amunt (Barcelona). Today, it is one of the world's leading fashion chains. The company specialises in fashion and sells apparel, shoes, bags and accessories – both online and in over 2,200 brick-and-mortar stores. The Spanish company is represented in over 100 countries.

Growth over the past years made it necessary to consolidate the supply chain. In order to optimise delivery times and reduce logistics costs, Mango opted for a central distribution centre in the Catalan municipality of Lliça d’Amunt. Thanks to the scalability, Mango is equipped for the planned growth and has the necessary flexibility to adjust to changes in the order structure or its business model.

CURIOUS?

Raffaele Destro, Valentina Vivarelli, Berta Giramé
TGW Global Strategic Business Development Fashion

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Automatic Mini-Load Systems: Automatic storage and retrieval machines based on innovation and tradition.

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