The key to remaining competitive in the automotive industry is to provide excellent order fulfillment through efficient product delivery. This is true for the entire B2B sector involved in the supply chain, which is always required to deliver ‘just in time’ and ‘just in sequence’.
Keeping pace with the most demanding market requirements, Dimac Srl is committed to providing customers with turnkey solutions such as broad portfolios of maintenance and aftersales support. This includes a comprehensive, targeted service for the optimum availability, traceability and delivery capacity of its machines’ spare parts.
Particularly on this point, Dimac is further implementing its intralogistics system with an innovative warehouse technology that develops a smart, extensive, close-knit logistics network.
“Our customers are active all over the world and solutions must be readily on hand. Nowadays, timely delivery is no more a plus but a must, to remain competitive and play a key role in crucial segments for car manufacturers such as the fastener industry,” says Massimo Agrati, general manager at Dimac.
The warehouse management is closely connected to the overall company’s management, e.g production supply, sales, distribution and on-site servicing. Giuseppe Mastrandrea, logistics manager at Dimac, explains: “We are planning to integrate our automated vertical carousel storage with robotics and IoT elements to make the unit-load system more and more dynamic, quicker and efficient. This will improve our productivity as well as the spare parts consignment.”
On the one hand, production benefits from a perfectly working inventory, continuously monitoring the total amount of stock available for the manufacturer of machines. On the other hand, customers are ‘real time’ assured of the shipment and delivery promptness for any spare parts needed.
The vertical automatic storage system is served by a lift device and its configuration allows the positioning of drawers at varying heights, depending on the type of load unit stored. A series of numbered shelves, working on wheel concept, rotates around a track to deliver the stored items quickly to an ergonomically positioned work.
Giuseppe continues: “Shelves are configured to create a storage system that maximises storage density, allowing at the same time the easy management of picking lists by rapid access to the archive consultation.”
The stocked material is basically shared in mechanic and electric: The former warehouse is based on the purchase orders, allowing Dimac servicing to be predictive, reactive and proactive to the customers’ requirements as well as to the production needs. The latter is conceived on a minimum and safety stock, held to guard against any stock-out.
“Our ERP system integrates the inventory management software, easily identifying the exact location of the pick and displaying additional information such as quantity to pick, part number and part description,” continues Giuseppe.
R&D is working to include the very heart of Dimac’s logistics process in the brand’s state of the art, cloud-based eco-system. “This will allow us to optimise the material flows and the spare parts handling, giving an optimal ratio between performances, work times, elimination of errors, storage control and traceability of materials and operations,” concludes Mr Agrati.
Dimac has also announced that its new headquarters will host a wider logistics area with additional vertical automatic storage systems.
Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.
Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.
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