Today, digital tools are vital to streamline company processes and for knowledge sharing – helping enhance overall productivity. A key to this development is artificial intelligence, an area in which Berardi Fasteners has been investing for years – in an effort to reorganise traditional processes such as stock planning and supply chain management.
Berardi states that virtual company tours or social media interaction will never replace the empathy conveyed by a firm handshake. However, as a company it still needs to adapt and offer rising standards and services to clients. A prime example is Berardi’s Extracomponents (non-fastener components) project, which means the company is able to offer a much wider and deeper service with many new product categories.
“The Covid-19 pandemic threw us into an extraordinary situation that will not stop when the contagion fades. We have changed the ways we interact, using digital platforms as primary tools to support our commercial strategy,” explains Berardi. “Innovation has always been our objective, but never like this year have we been pushed to make immediate, structural changes to our working habits. We became familiar with tools we did not need to use in the past, such as online data platforms, smartphone Apps, virtual training sessions, and so on, and have learned to appreciate their efficacy in maintaining the connection with our clients.”
Berardi adds: “Advanced companies will always try to reduce management costs, choosing those suppliers that make their product management easy, offer wide product ranges and deliver efficiently. Our value added is the experience we have built in Lean logistics services, customised to suit the characteristics of each single client.”
Constant research and development of new technologies has enabled Berardi to position itself as an ideal partner for supplying components, even in the most complex production situations. An example of this is how the company has developed its services including Kanban, Kanban Up, as well as the S-BBK 4.0 smart container, which it has offered for several years.
Efficient management of the supply chain happens when there is constant communication among its links, such as with the S-BBK 4.0 smart container. This is a digital Kanban container, with electronic capacity sensors that transmit stock information in ‘real time’, in order to make supplies fully automatic. When the amount within a given S-BBK container goes below the preset point of reorder, the information system generates a purchase order, which is sent on the scheduled days.
“Digital tools such as these, as well as ERP, and Business Intelligence, provide frequent and precise data analysis, which can be easily translated into practical advantages for clients. If all these parts work together in synergy, we can assure an efficient and reliable service and remain a firm certainty even in times of general instability.”
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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