The French shoe and clothing company Eram has commissioned Dematic to automate its new distribution center in Chemillé-en-Anjou (Maine-et-Loire department) in western France. The decision is part of a comprehensive strategy by the group's fashion division to modernize and make central B2B and B2C warehousing and distribution processes more efficient, according to a press release from the automation company on June 17.
The family-run company, based in France with international presence, plans to consolidate the logistics flows of its shoe brands – including "Gémo", "ERAM", "Bocage", and "Mellow Yellow" – in a new distribution center in the
Loire Valley. The facility, over 40,000 square meters in size, is being established in Chemillé-en-Anjou, about 300 kilometers southwest of Paris.
"Dematic has impressively demonstrated its comprehensive expertise in the realization of 'AutoStore' systems and convincingly showcased the synergies resulting from collaboration with other brands of the parent company Kion Group," said Jean-Louis Borde, head of logistics activities of the Eram group.
A decisive criterion for choosing the Dematic solution over comparable offers was the particularly compact design of the AutoStore system that will be integrated into the new distribution center. This offers higher storage capacity on
the same footprint and can be flexibly expanded if needed.
The Dematic solution combines several current technologies in a compact, scalable design. It automates both picking and palletizing and includes a space-saving AutoStore system that is expected to significantly increase order processing efficiency at the Eram group. The facility is complemented by an inbound conveyor belt with two automatic unloading units for trucks and containers, as well as an additional conveyor belt for parcel sorting prior to subsequent palletizing.
The AutoStore system itself comprises 80,000 containers, 84 robots, and 16 workstations, enabling automated, flexible order processing. A
robot opens the boxes, while another stores non-sellable goods into the system. For the picking process, a packaging station is planned from which the orders are directly forwarded to the shipping area via a conveyor belt.
All picking and fulfillment processes are controlled by Dematic's Warehouse Control Software (WCS). This is intended to ensure that both logistical requirements and expectations for customer satisfaction are met. Additionally, the solution can be integrated into the existing IT infrastructure of the Eram group. The project is already in progress, with completion and commissioning scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026.
