BWX teams up with Dematic to power new automated manufacturing site

Beauty and wellness giant BWX has teamed up with Dematic to power its new highly automated manufacturing facility in Melbourne.

Located in south-east Clayton, the 14,875 sqm warehouse will operate with four automated high-speed production lines, together with Dematic’s AutoStore system, a modern automated storage and picking fulfilment solution.

The new Clayton plant builds on BWX’s existing facility, which is operating with nine semi-automatic low-speed production lines.

Duncan Munro, Group Operations Director at BWX, talked about how the new facility works to streamline warehouse operations and support the company’s ongoing business expansion as it works three times the manufacturing capacity of the existing site.

“As part of our new Australian HQ and operations facility we needed an outside-the-box approach to scale and innovate our e-commerce fulfilment, and Dematic have developed a pragmatic, customised solution that supports this,” Munro said.

“AutoStore will significantly increase our e-commerce efficiencies with improved picking, packing, and replenishing to support rising volumes,” agreed Rory Gration, Chief Group Operating Officer at BWX.

“It puts us in the right position for future growth with effective use of warehouse space and the ability to customise and expand the system to suit our needs,” Gration said.

Dematic’s AutoStore solution serves as a high-density automated storage and goods-to-person (GTP) picking and fulfilment solution, designed to optimise warehouse space and minimise manual labour.

The solution allows the products to be brought to the operator, working to actively streamline the picking process by reducing warehouse foot traffic and keeping the products close to where they are required to be.

David Lamb, Consulting Manager at Dematic, said that by advancing its new manufacturing facility with high-speed automation, BWX will not only overcome high order volumes, but improve the entire warehousing process as well.

“Alongside its intelligent use of warehouse space, AutoStore streamlines picking, packing, and replenishment operations,” Lamb said.

“From upscaling for future growth to gaining valuable insights into warehouse operations to delivering business-critical improvements, AutoStore is a solution for proactive planning, better productivity, and a modern automated warehouse, and we’re incredibly excited to see it in action at BWX’s new Clayton warehouse,” he said.

Source: Dematic