The EMKE Group, retail giant in the Middle East and operator of the LuLu hypermarkets, has become the first company in the Middle East to introduce the award-winning warehouse management system (WMS) LFS 400 from the warehouse expert group Ehrhardt + Partner (E+P).

Ten different warehouse locations in Abu Dhabi started operations on the same day with LFS 400.
The introduction of LFS 400 in the Abu Dhabi warehouses was really challenging since a partial reorganisation of existing warehouse operations was necessary even though the acceptance of the WMS was very high, E+P said.
“We chose LFS 400 as the preferable system due to its flexibility and easy-to-use customised solution which meets all the standards in our business. And with E + P’s global experience and German expertise we are confident of meeting and satisfying the requirements of our customers,” commented EMKE executive director Ashraf.
Through the implementation of the warehouse management system LFS 400, the EMKE Group guarantees a high accuracy of inventory and picking, E+P said.

Optimising warehouse resources
“The system optimises the utilisation of all warehouse resources, for instance employees, storage technology and materials handling,” remarked Hermann Ehrhardt, managing director of Ehrhardt + Partner Solutions Dubai (EPS) which is part of the E+P Group. 
A new upcoming warehouse in Dubai has a size of about 25,000 sq m. More than 50,000 items from the domains of food, non-food, electronics, garments and housekeeping are stored for the LuLu Hypermarket. Next to 16,250 pallet places, the warehouse also provides 40,000 shelves for garments as well as 22,000 further bin locations on the shelf storage. The warehouse is connected to a central IBM computer i5, which is located in the data centre in the head office of EMKE in Abu Dhabi.
Ramon Thoms, regional manager of EPS and head of the project for EMKE, points out that after the second week of going live he saw benefits for EMKE such as smooth operational sequence and very easy communication with the SAP system. “Our project analysis, preparation and training led us to successfully introduce the software in EMKE´s warehouses. Besides, there were no interruptions of the current storage operation.  With the installation of LFS 400 at EMKE`s warehouses, a new logistics chapter has opened in the Middle East,” said Thoms.
Madhav Rao, head of IT at EMKE, observed: “The LFS 400 platform guarantees a perfect process in our warehouses. With this system, an expansive company development is possible.” 
At the beginning of 2010, sites in Bahrain (22,000 sq m) will be connected to the central machine giving EMKE a total of 200,000 sq m storage with only one WMS. LFS 400 is designed to connect different warehouse sites in different countries with just one software installation.
In the second half of 2009, EMKE will introduce some of the latest technologies including Pick-by-Voice.
E+P, founded by Ehrhardt in 1987, has developed into an internationally active group of companies with more than 140 employees at four locations. Company solutions are currently being employed successfully on five different continents. Together with its subsidiaries, Ehrhardt + Partner Group offers integrated total solutions for warehouse logistics from one source. Conceived for professional use in practice, all products are subject to ongoing development to keep them at the highest standard.
The product range of the E+P Group incorporates the warehouse management system LFS 400, warehouse planning and consulting, pick-by-voice as well as wireless data and barcode solutions, RFID, material flow computers, individual customer specific solutions and warehouse seminars.
There are currently more than 300 customers from all industries on the list of references for the group.
EPS will establish an innovative logistics training and warehouse technology centre at Dubai Logistics City. There, interested companies can inform themselves comprehensively about the theme of warehouse logistics, and check out how modern warehouses function and how the processes of existing warehouses can be appreciably optimised with the help of innovative technologies like radio frequency, RFID, and Pick-by-Voice and eventually raise profits for the user.
The group has sales, service, and support partners in Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, among others in the Middle East.