Crystal International’s new warehouse is super smart.
The Hong Kong-headquartered apparel manufacturing giant has just opened a new 24/7-operating, automated smart warehouse at its denim factory in Vietnam that can store 4 million yards of fabric and 2 million finished garments. The state-of-the-art facility, which covers nearly 46,000 square feet and is 280 feet tall, took a year to develop and construct.
It has six cranes for the unit-load automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) and 24 double-deep racks. The AS/RS links with the factory’s internal warehouse management system, providing accurate supply chain data.
The new technology reduces necessary manpower by 50 percent–thereby increasing worker safety–and makes better use of land space. “Since the warehouse data is all stored in one system, the factory can have a better tracking of fabrics and finished goods inventory. All these bring additional value to the customers–the movement of materials is boosted, manufacturing process is also streamlined,” said Wendy Li, general manager of corporate logistics at Crystal International.
Crystal Group serves top global brands and covers five apparel sectors: denim, lifestyle wear, intimates, sweaters and and sportswear/outdoor apparel. It has about 20 production facilities in five countries–Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka—a workforce of 80,000 and delivers more than 470 million pieces of apparel a year. It announced a net zero goal for 2050 in March 2022 and has contributed to global reforestation efforts by planting almost 3 million trees since 2007.
The company, which was established in 1970 as a sweater business, stresses sustainability and was ranked 17th out of 50 in Fortune magazine’s 2016 “Change the World” list, a roster of companies that have made significant social and environmental contributions.
