Creating Latin America's Largest and Most Advanced Automated E-commerce Warehouse

Source: Bastian Solutions

Leading Latin American fashion e-commerce retailer Dafiti faced significant scalability challenges during a period of rapid growth. AutoStore’s automated storage and retrieval system, empowered by Bastian Solutions, provided the answer. We transformed Dafiti's warehouse in Brazil, called LEAP, into one of the largest and most advanced automated warehouses in the world. This massive system has dramatically reduced order cycle times – from 24 to 2 hours – while more than quadrupling throughput to 4,800 picks per hour.

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AutoStore's solution is supporting Dafiti's continued growth, ensuring fast delivery and high customer satisfaction across Latin America.

The Challenge: Scale a Large Operation, Fast

Part of the Global Fashion Group, Dafiti's popularity surged in the Latin American market and its warehousing operations struggled to keep pace with increasing demand:

• Existing facilities lacked the efficiency needed for rapid growth and scalability.
• Order processing times needed significant reduction to meet customer expectations.
• The increasing number of Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) required a more sophisticated inventory management system.
• Peak season demands posed additional challenges to operational efficiency.
• Energy efficiency was crucial.

Dafiti needed a scalable solution that could handle its vast operations and enhance its distribution capabilities, all while improving the employee working environment and meeting customer expectations.

The Solution: Large-Scale Automated Storage and Retrieval System

Dafiti Group implemented AutoStore's automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) in its new warehouse called LEAP. The implementation featured 450,000 Bins, approximately 300 Robots, and storage for 3.6 million units, marking a shift towards unparalleled operational efficiency.

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AutoStore's system operates through a grid-based approach. Goods are stored in Bins within an aluminum grid structure. Robots move across the top of the Grid, retrieving Bins as needed and delivering them to picking stations. This goods-to-person system optimizes space usage and allows for rapid, precise retrieval, significantly enhancing warehouse efficiency, reducing order cycle times and enabling high throughput.

The AutoStore system maximizes storage density while minimizing energy consumption, significantly enhancing overall efficiency. Tight integration with Bastian Solutions' Exacta software assures smooth operations with real-time data management and optimal routing for maximum throughput.

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Key Benefits: Efficient, Scalable, Future-Ready Operations

AutoStore has transformed Dafiti's LEAP warehouse into a highly efficient, adaptable space, maximizing its use for current and future needs.

• Order cycle time has reduced: From 24 hours to just 2 hours — a 92% improvement.
• Throughput has increased significantly: 400% more items picked per hour compared to previous facilities, reaching 4,800 picks per hour.
• Scalability is assured: AutoStore's design supports Dafiti's future growth, allowing for easy expansion as operational needs evolve.
• Energy efficiency is improved: The system offers low energy consumption with maximized storage density.
• Employee working environment has been enhanced: Automation has reduced physical demands on warehouse staff and created a more sustainable working environment.

Order Cycle Time Slashed, Throughput Increased Fivefold, Growth potential secured

Today, Dafiti's warehouse stands as the largest AutoStore installation in Latin America. The transition from traditional warehousing to this massive automated system has addressed the critical challenges of rapid growth and the need for scalable operations. It has also positioned Dafiti as a leader in fast, reliable delivery across Latin America. With significantly improved throughput and the ability to easily scale further, Dafiti has a solid foundation for continued success and growth in the competitive e-commerce market.

Project Specifications

• Implementation type: Greenfield (new site)
• Robots: ~300 Robots
• Bins: 450,000 Bins
• Warehouse Management System: Exacta WES
• Integration partner: Bastian Solutions