BIG CARING Group has unveiled a new automation-driven distribution centre and centralised corporate headquarters in Klang as it looks to strengthen its supply chain and support growth of its healthcare network nationwide.
The group said the new facility was built to improve efficiency, accuracy and resilience as it now handled over 90,000 order lines a day across more than 600 outlets under its BIG, Caring, Georgetown, Ting and Wellings brands, as well as more than 5,000 healthcare touchpoints.
BIG CARING Group executive director Lim Sin Yin said the investment was driven by lessons learnt during the Covid-19 pandemic, when supply chains were disrupted and demand patterns became unpredictable.
Speaking during the unveiling of the system at the Big Caring Group warehouse in Klang, Selangor, Lim said efficiency alone was no longer enough, as companies also needed visibility, agility and intelligence to respond to rising global tensions, energy cost pressures, and supply uncertainty.
She said the group had strengthened its upstream demand planning using AI-driven smart replenishment systems that analysed real-time sales data, anticipated demand shifts and optimise inventory positioning across locations.
“We are no longer reacting to demand; we are predicting it and preparing for it in advance,” she said.
At the heart of that strategy is the new distribution centre, which Lim described as a high-performance engine connecting planning to execution.
The facility uses an integrated automation system powered by robotics, with tote-to-person systems for lower-frequency items and shelf-to-person systems for fast-moving products, including medicines.
The system involves 160 robots and 700 racks, helping to improve storage density through better use of vertical space while speeding up order fulfilment.
Since implementation, picking efficiency has improved by 76.5%, while picking accuracy has reached 99.8%.
According to the company, automation has also changed how warehouse staff work, as items are now brought directly to personnel instead of requiring them to walk long distances across the facility.
“The system now brings the items directly to them. This reduces the physical strain, improves focus and allows them (staff) to manage a higher volume of orders with consistency,” said Lim.
She added that employees were no longer just handling products, but were now managing intelligence, systems and performance.
The group said its new corporate headquarters, launched alongside the distribution centre, would bring teams together under one roof to improve collaboration, speed up decision-making and strengthen alignment across the organisation.
Lim said the combined investments would allow BIG CARING to operate with greater speed, accuracy, flexibility and resilience.
“Efficiency is no longer a competitive advantage; it is a responsibility,” she said, adding that the group aimed to ensure products and customer needs were met with speed, accuracy and reliability.
