Acme Intralog: Redefining Operational Excellence

Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Dubai, Acme Intralog FZCO has grown into a leading provider of industrial and intralogistics automation solutions across the Middle East. Operating from its strategic hub in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, the company designs, manufactures, and integrates advanced automation systems for a wide range of industries, including food and beverage, e-commerce, retail, FMCG, and pharmaceuticals.

Acme Intralog offers comprehensive solutions, from factory automation and sortation systems to pallet and tote storage and retrieval systems. Their expertise also covers cold storage and food-grade applications, ensuring client requirements are met with precision and efficiency. By combining locally manufactured hardware with in-house software development, Acme delivers systems that optimise space, improve operational efficiency, and reduce costs.

Innovation is central to the company’s approach, with every system rigorously tested at its Dubai manufacturing facility before installation. Acme also provides extensive lifecycle services, including 24/7 maintenance and support across the GCC, ensuring long-term reliability.

Committed to shaping the future of warehouse automation, Acme Intralog empowers businesses to achieve operational excellence and maintain a competitive edge in an evolving market.

In an exclusive conversation with Air Cargo Update, Navin Narayan, CEO of Acme Intralog, details his journey transforming the family-owned business into a regional leader in intralogistics and warehouse automation. 

Taking over the business in 1999, Navin has spent over 25 years modernising operations, transitioning from manual warehouses to technologically advanced systems that incorporate robotics and automation.

Reflecting on Acme’s journey, Navin identifies 2019 as a pivotal year, when the company established a manufacturing facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone. This move allowed Acme to develop customised solutions for the regional market while strengthening its focus on industrial automation and warehouse robotics.

Navin emphasises the importance of balancing cutting-edge technologies with reliability, explaining that Acme rigorously tests and validates all hardware and software in-house to ensure mission-critical operations run smoothly. 

He also shared insights into the competitive GCC logistics market, citing Acme’s deep understanding of local needs, modular technology solutions, and extensive 24/7 lifecycle support as key differentiators.

Under Navin’s visionary leadership, Acme has grown into a trusted name in industrial automation and is celebrating 50 years this year.

Navin outlines a vision centred on research, modular solutions, and democratising access to automation, reinforcing the company’s commitment to driving operational excellence and sustainable growth across the region.

Could you walk us through your journey with Acme Intralog?

Acme Intralog is a family-owned business, and I am proud to be the second-generation entrepreneur leading the company. I took over from my father in 1999, so I have been actively involved in the business for over 25 years. After graduating in India, I joined the company as an engineer. At that time, our focus was primarily on manual warehouses and traditional racking systems. I was eager to introduce technology into the business, which led me to explore solutions involving automation and robotics to enhance efficiency and modernise warehouse operations.

Looking back over five decades, which turning point do you believe defined Acme’s identity the most?

Acme started in 1975, initially focusing on providing manual warehousing solutions for the regional market. In 2010, we made a strategic decision to expand into advanced automation, placing greater emphasis on warehouse automation and robotics. Perhaps the most significant turning point came in 2019, when we established a manufacturing facility in the Jebel Ali Free Zone. This facility allowed us to design and develop solutions tailored to the regional market, with a strong focus on industrial automation and warehouse robotics.

Can you walk us through a recent project that best reflects Acme’s blend of engineering, manufacturing, and system integration strengths?

One of our recent projects involved the industrial cultivation of proteins in a laboratory-like environment. The main challenge was to integrate industrial automation with warehouse automation and robotics. The complexity came from handling live organisms while maintaining the standards of both warehouse and industrial operations. It was a highly challenging project, but it turned out to be very successful and demonstrated our ability to combine engineering, manufacturing, and system integration effectively.

How do you balance adopting cutting-edge technologies like AI or robotics with ensuring reliability in mission-critical operations?

When businesses invest in industrial automation and robotics, these solutions become an integral part of their core operations. This makes reliability and efficiency absolutely essential. Automation cannot be implemented without thorough prior testing.

At our Dubai facilities, we conduct rigorous testing, validation, and quality checks before delivering any solution to the customer. This process covers both hardware and software reliability. Since we have both engineering and software teams in-house, working under the same roof, we can ensure seamless integration and deliver solutions that are dependable and ready for mission-critical use at the heart of the customer’s operations.

How has, having your own manufacturing facility in Jebel Ali changed your agility and competitiveness?

Having our own manufacturing facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone has brought several key advantages. First, it allows us to go to market faster, as we are closer to our customers and can deliver solutions with shorter lead times.

Second, because regional market requirements differ from those in other regions, our R&D team can develop solutions specifically tailored to local customer needs.

Third, this setup makes us more cost-effective, as we can develop advanced technologies in-house rather than sourcing them externally. Additionally, having our own software team enables us to deliver highly customised software solutions, fully integrated with the systems our customers already use.

Finally, with an in-house facility, we can ensure the ready availability of spare parts and components, which is critical for maintaining 24/7 system operations.

The GCC logistics market is highly competitive – what do you see as Acme’s strongest differentiator?

One of our greatest advantages is our deep understanding of the local market. We know the key drivers behind why customers seek automation and the specific technologies they need to enhance efficiency while reducing long-term costs.

Additionally, with a strong local team and an extensive lifecycle services and maintenance network across multiple locations in the GCC, we can provide 24/7 support, ensuring that our customers’ operations run smoothly and without interruption.

Given the critical nature of airport operations, how do you ensure your systems remain reliable and efficient in the high-stakes environment of airport operations?

When designing and developing solutions for the airport industry – reliability and stability are our top priorities, as these are non-negotiable in such a high-stakes environment. Every solution we deliver undergoes thorough testing and validation before deployment.

Our in-house facilities allow us to perform comprehensive testing, including factory acceptance tests, ensuring that the systems meet the highest standards. Additionally, our large lifecycle services and maintenance team, fully certified and locally available, ensures that systems operate 24/7 without disruption, meeting all regulatory requirements and keeping airport operations running smoothly.

E-commerce demands ultra-fast fulfillment – how has Acme adapted its automation solutions to meet next-day or even same-day delivery expectations?

In e-commerce, there are three key types of solutions required to ensure on-time delivery. First, highly automated distribution centers handle large volumes from central hubs efficiently.

Second, regional order fulfillment centers use robotics and goods-to-person technologies to process and dispatch orders quickly to local customers.

Finally, the rise of micro-fulfillment centers addresses the growing demand for quick commerce, enabling near-instant deliveries. We have partnered with both global and regional e-commerce players to design and implement solutions across all these categories, ensuring speed, efficiency, and scalability.

Which warehouse automation technologies do you see as most transformative for large and medium-scale e-commerce operations in the GCC?

It’s challenging to single out one technology, as different solutions serve different needs. For large-scale operations, AS/RS (Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems) for tote and box handling represent a significant investment and can dramatically improve efficiency. For more modular setups, autonomous mobile robots and AGVs offer flexibility and scalability.

Additionally, robotic vision picking solutions are becoming increasingly popular. Looking ahead, we may also see emerging technologies such as humanoid robots entering the market, further transforming warehouse automation.

Pharma supply chains are heavily regulated – how do your solutions ensure compliance with standards such as GMP or GDP?

Our solutions rely heavily on software integration combined with robust hardware systems to ensure full traceability of products. Every movement, from inbound to outbound, is tracked, and we can

manage batch numbers, expiry dates, and implement First Expiry, First Out (FEFO) protocols.

Additionally, our systems ensure that temperature-sensitive products remain within required cold chain conditions, helping our clients maintain full compliance with GMP and GDP standards.

What role does automation play in maintaining product integrity for temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals?

Automation plays a crucial role in minimising human intervention, which allows for more precise control over warehouse conditions, including temperature, without the need for excessively costly temperature-control

systems.

Additionally, automation enables full tracking and tracing of products throughout their entire cycle within the warehouse. This ensures that what is committed to the system is accurately delivered, maintaining product integrity and compliance with regulatory standards.

In your view, what are the biggest differences in automation fulfilment centre design between Food & Beverage, E-commerce, Retail, FMCG or Pharma?

Each industry has unique requirements and challenges in handling goods. For example, in Pharma and Food, the focus is on traceability, batch management, and First Expiry, First Out (FEFO) protocols, with an emphasis on extremely precise and accurate picking.

In large-scale Food and FMCG operations, the focus shifts to moving large pallets efficiently. While expiry management remains important, these operations typically involve high volumes with fewer SKUs.

In contrast, E-commerce and Retail fulfilment centres prioritise single-item picking, returns management, and handling a very large number of SKUs. These operations also need to manage seasonal peaks, such as end-of-year sales or promotional campaigns, requiring highly flexible and scalable solutions.

Looking ahead 3 to 5 years, how do you envision Acme’s growth, and what key initiatives or innovations are in the pipeline to achieve that vision?

Our core focus has always been on research and development, creating innovative solutions tailored to the regional market. We aim to develop modular, cost-effective solutions to democratise access to automation for local industries. Moving forward, we will continue to invest in new technologies, rigorously validate them, and bring them to the market to support sustainable growth and deliver value to our customers.

This interview was conducted by Laique Khan and published in Air Cargo Update in September 2025 - read the full issue here