Global Shipping and Logistics puts Manhattan Associates at the Heart of its Business in the Middle East

Dubai-based Logistics Services Provider Selects Supply Chain Execution Solution for Regions Largest Distribution Centre

Leading supply chain solutions provider, Manhattan Associates, Inc., recently announced that Global Shipping and Logistics (GSL) has selected Manhattan Associates Warehouse Management solution, built on Microsoft .NET to operate its new, one million ft, 130M dirham ($40m), warehousing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

GSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UAE-based, diversified industrial conglomerate, Al Shirawi Group, which has been operating since 1972 and employs more than 5,000 people.  The new facility, based at the Dubai Investment Park is due to open in April 2006 and will be the largest temperature-controlled warehouse in the region.  The operation has been designed to meet the needs not only of local traders but also of international retailers and manufacturers in the automotive, electronic and food and drink sectors.  It will furthermore allow GSL to offer a local service to global logistics companies.

The Warehouse Management solution from Manhattan Associates will provide GSL with a rich multi-functional order fulfilment tool.  It will enable GSL to efficiently manage the handling and storage of ambient and temperature-controlled goods throughout the warehouse.  Providing visibility of inventory across its entire supply chain, the solution will enable GSL to offer internet visibility to its customers on both stock movement and temperature environment. Furthermore, Manhattan Associates Billing Management solution, a component of Warehouse Management, will provide GSL with improved billing accuracy and service and allow the tracking of all inventory handling, storage and fulfilment activities by client. The solutions rich functionality was just one of the reasons why it was chosen by GSL. 

We were impressed by Manhattan Associates commitment to this region, said Mike Lee, general manager of GSL.  As well as having a great international reputation, the company was able to demonstrate its success with other leading organisations in the Middle East and has an exciting product roadmap for the next five years. We are pleased we will have a market-leading Warehouse Management solution to support our customers as we expand our service from the initial one million ft to a second site in 2007.

On a practical level, the solution also impressed GSL.  Arun Kumar, who joined GSL to supervise the installation of the new warehouse management solution, explained:  The solution itself is not only incredibly powerful, but is also very easy to use and configure for different clients needs.  We can bring people up to speed on different features very quickly, which is essential when working in an environment in which workloads can change at short notice.

Dubai is an exciting place for Manhattan Associates to be, said Steve Smith, vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Manhattan Associates.  The city is now widely regarded as the trading hub for the whole of the Middle East, and we are very pleased to be working with dynamic companies such as GSL who are at the forefront of its development.