Dematic to handle Coke in Oz

Australia - Coca Cola Amatil has engaged Dematic in a A$10 million (US$9.59 million) deal to install a route distribution system in Australia.

The facility, to be sited in the newly established Eastern Creek distribution centre in New South Wales, will be one of the largest mixed carton picking centres in Australasia and will be distributing the complete range of CCA's products including carbonated soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Dematic said it has worked closely with CCA in a consultancy arrangement for over 18 months to finalise the system design and distribution solution.

The system will include pallet sortation and dock unloading as well as the world-first innovative negative carton picking methodology. The Eastern Creek site will consolidate all of CCA's NSW route distribution business. The development is part of the overall $170 million Project Jupiter development plan, the company said.

Michael Shirbin, CCA's major projects manager said Dematic tabulated the results of the on-site trials into replications, to ensure the robustness of vital elements in the system design. "Based upon projected efficiencies, the new carton picking system is expected to play a key role in CCA's supply chain network," said Shirbin.

Dematic will be executing the order management system, working closely with CCA's project and operational personnel to ensure smooth transition across from a number of current picking facilities. Dematic's PickDIRECTOR order management system will also integrate to an existing Warehouse Management System.

"Australia is one of our key markets in Asia Pacific, where we have extensive coverage across the country. Our main office is located in Sydney, New South Wales, and we also have offices in Brisbane and Melbourne. Our services include consulting work, systems implementation and local service availability with 24-hour hotline support," Dematic spokesperson David Rubie told ProcurementAsia.

Rubie added that the deal represented the first commercial partnership between the two, though Dematic had been retained as the system consultant prior to the project.