"Fashion Industry's First Online-Only Logistics Center" Hansome Launches Full-Scale Operation of 'Smart Hub e-Biz'

5만㎡ Facility in Icheon, Gyeonggi... Dedicated Online Logistics for The Handsome.com and H Fashion Mall

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] Handsome is launching the first logistics center in the domestic fashion industry dedicated exclusively to handling online apparel. The company aims to establish a foundation for sustainable growth through the construction of advanced logistics infrastructure and to gain a competitive edge in the fashion industry's online business sector.

On the 1st, Handsome announced that its online-exclusive logistics center, ‘Smart Hub e-Biz,’ built with an investment of approximately 50 billion KRW, has officially commenced operations.

Located in Hobeop-myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, Smart Hub e-Biz is the first online-only logistics facility in the domestic fashion industry. The building spans 12 floors with a total floor area of 50,241㎡ (approximately 15,200 pyeong). The first floor houses the inbound and outbound areas, the second floor contains the automated product sorting facilities, and from the third to the twelfth floor, there are 10 automated warehouses capable of storing 920,000 garments.

Handsome expects that the operation of Smart Hub e-Biz will improve logistics efficiency, including processing capacity and time. The annual volume of online apparel shipments will expand to a maximum of 11 million cases, which is three times the previous level, and the logistics processing time from order to product preparation and delivery is expected to be reduced by about 9 hours from the previous average of 41 hours.

Handsome has introduced a large number of advanced automated logistics systems specialized for fashion companies at Smart Hub e-Biz, including the Pocket Sorter system and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). The Pocket Sorter system integrates RFID technology to automatically sort products and move them along a 6 km-long rail connected to all floors. The 168 AGVs deployed throughout the logistics center automatically transport approximately 7,000 shelving units according to inbound and outbound situations.

Additionally, an ‘environment control system’ is applied to maintain constant temperature and humidity inside the logistics center. This system helps prevent product discoloration and bacterial growth that can occur during the rainy season or humid summer months. Handsome is also working to differentiate its delivery services. First, it will extend the same-day shipping cutoff times for The Handsome.com and H Fashion Mall, doubling the volume of same-day shipments compared to before. Furthermore, the company is considering expanding a service that delivers orders placed early in the morning on the same day, starting with a pilot program in the Seoul area and then extending to the metropolitan area within the year.