Emporium Melbourne Streamlines Freight Delivery to 225 Stores
Emporium Melbourne is a luxury shopping centre on the corner of Lonsdale and Swanston streets in Melbourne, Australia. Occupying the former Lonsdale Street site of Myer's Melbourne store, Emporium opened in 2014 following extensive redevelopment.
Spanning 46,000 square meters, Emporium Melbourne is the nation's largest designer precinct, and an array of over 40 unique dining establishments.
During the redevelopment, the space-consuming truck ramps were replaced with Australia's largest truck lifts unlocking 2/3rds of a floor for rentable space.
Trucks and vans descend 12 metres from the ground to lower basement via the twin 25 tonne lifts seen here.
The Challenge
Operating a premium shopping precinct in Melbourne’s CBD entailed tackling several distinctive challenges. Firstly, maintaining the high standards expected by high-end retailers necessitates consistent, top-tier service. Secondly, efficiently managing a high volume of deliveries in a congested area posed a logistical challenge. Limited street access and restricted dock access for the lifts compounded delivery complicationsand required a scheduling approach for vehicles to access the basement dock. Finally, stringent site security measures were imperative due to the value of the merchandise.
The Benefits
Replacing 7,000 square metres of ramp space with retail space has transformed Emporium’s layout. Mobiledock's scheduling solution now enables drivers to seamlessly access the truck lift, ensuring orderly dock access. QR code scanning in the goods lift streamlines the arrival and departure process: drivers simply scan to mark their booking status as “arrived” upon entry and “completed” when leaving. They can also input or update field data directly on their booking, eliminating intercom communication with security and enabling further automation. By reducing wait times, Mobiledock cuts down on idle time, improves efficiency, and lowers emissions.
Emporium’s premium delivery service for high-profile tenants, combined with insightful load-arrival analytics, enhances both operational transparency and tenant satisfaction.
The Solution
Mobiledock is a fully hosted, cloud-based web application, boasting an intuitive web-based design and easy configurability to minimize setup costs and enable rapid, global deployment of the solution.
Mobiledock facilitates dock delivery management, from the initial appointment request for a delivery slot to the confirmation of delivery completion. The vehicle arrive and depart times are captured when the driver scans the booking barcode in the lift.
The Results
Since its launch in August 2014, the automated appointment booking system at Emporium has yielded impressive results. Over 90% of appointments are now managed automatically via the web, reducing the need for manual intervention by Dock Management. This has significantly alleviated on-site congestion.
Moreover, the system has bolstered security by identifying and deterring unauthorized vehicles from entering the site, thus diminishing security risks. Additionally, it has mitigated Chain of Responsibility (CoR) risks by enhancing compliance and accountability. Overall, these results underscore the system's effectiveness in optimising operations and ensuring safety at Emporium.
In the midst of an iconic and extraordinarily busy retail center, Mobiledock ensures safe and efficient deliveries every day at Emporium.