Schneider Electric Opens Its First Smart Distribution Center in India

Dec 9, 2019

Schneider Electric has opened its first Smart Distribution Center in India. The Smart Distribution Center, located in the commercial hub of Mumbai, has been digitally transformed with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure architecture to be more energy efficient and provide real time access to information right across the supply chain. Early results from this digitisation initiative are showing expected energy savings of 10 to 12 per cent and an increase in logistics efficiency of 5 per cent at the site.

This is Schneider Electric’s fifth Smart Distribution Center launch in 2019, following inaugurations in Australia, China, Brazil and France. Smart Distribution Centers are fundamental to Schneider Electric’s Tailored Sustainable Connected (TSC) 4.0 supply chain digital transformation. Under this initiative, Schneider Electric implements its EcoStruxure platform and architecture across its supply chain operations to deliver end-to-end integration to improve predictability and reliability for customers by providing visibility, early detection and mitigation of supply related incidents across the complete value chain.

The Smart Distribution Center in Mumbai is the first of Schneider Electric’s showcase Smart Distribution Centers that has been set up as a third-party logistics (3PL) site, in this instance in association with global logistics giant, DHL.  The Smart Distribution Center takes forward India’s aspiration to evolve into a manufacturing hub for the world through ‘Make in India’ which made a strong case for creating robust supply chains with smart distribution centers as a powerful node.

Commenting on the association with Schneider Electric, Vikas Anand, Managing Director DHL Supply Chain India Pvt. Ltd., India, said, “Supporting Schneider Electric in delivering efficiencies to this site has helped make the experience for our joint end customers, seamless. In addition, the energy efficiency savings which the EcoStruxure solutions have brought to this site, make it a template for green logistics operations in the region.”

Speaking on the occasion, Javed Ahmad, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain, India, Middle East & Africa and East Asia & Japan, said, “Our Smart Distribution Center Programme serves as a model for other logistics and warehousing players in India to build intelligent distribution networks and paves the way for the region’s logistics industry to become more sustainable and efficient. The Mumbai site demonstrates exactly how digital transformation can be successfully achieved when applied in the logistics environment. We are excited to open this facility as a showcase in the region.”

The deployment of EcoStruxure at the Mumbai Smart Distribution Center has achieved the following key benefits:

1. Agile management & process efficiency – faster and better decision-making by logistics teams improves customer satisfaction and delivers faster service. This is achieved through EcoStruxure Plant solutions which simplify shop-floor management and improve process efficiency, and through EcoStruxure Power solutions which facilitate more efficient energy management. In addition, the End to End Control tower helps the site to track its shipments and provides proactive information on global and local events that could potentially impact customer service.

2. Asset performance management – predictive analytics have been implemented for reduced downtime and more efficient operations, and machine learning has increased asset control, availability and reliability. From these solutions the Smart Distribution Center is expecting to reduce costs and increase productivity, with ROI expected to be achieved on IIoT connected assets in six months.

3. Empowered operators – EcoStruxure Plant solutions give operators access to intelligent and actionable asset and process information in real time which reduces time to repair, increases process efficiency and reliability and improves delivery service to customers.Energy efficiency & reliability – reduced energy consumption and improved power monitoring through real-time insights are delivered by EcoStruxure Resource Advisor, connected meters and Power Tag wireless energy sensors, which are showing potential energy savings of up to 30 per cent.

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