Month: April 2020

Italian-based global packaging machinery specialist Sitma Machinery has launched “We Care”, a customer-assistance program based on advanced strategies to allow both predictive and remote work on machines and systems. This allows the company to operate from a global perspective and cover diverse, constant needs. Though based on an advanced technological platform, the service focuses on the competence and experience of its operators.

Since its founding, Sitma has shown that it has a mindset devoted to innovation and change. Its customer support system, part of the We Care program, is the result of this philosophy. It’s supported by a CRM strategy that was implemented first in sales and, more recently, in after-sales management to track and plan requests, needs and customer interventions in a smart way.

“This tool will lead to an increasingly global, integrated and proactive approach in managing the post-sales phase,” explained Fabio Moro, After Sales Manager at Sitma. “It operates according to the logic of predictive maintenance and servicing to improve line performance and operations. The CRM operation is based on cutting-edge software, but human skills remain the core of our approach with the customer,” he added.

The pride of Sitma’s customer service is, and always has been, its operators’ incredibly high specialization and unique knowledge of the machines. Over time, Sitma’s technical staff has expanded its know-how, integrating mechanical knowledge with new skills in electronics, programming and planning. Today, Sitma’s assistance specialists are mechatronics experts with multidisciplinary skill sets.

Technology remains a fundamental aspect of the equation and effectively supports all assistance activity. Every Sitma machine is now equipped with an IoT system for remote connection and diagnostics. Thanks to the integration of virtual channels, these solutions – which were implemented several years ago and are supported by an articulated network of sensors collecting various types of data — facilitate remote assistance by reducing any downtime. Sitma has also developed specific algorithms that, through data collection, predict maintenance and performance optimization. Every single critical component of the machine is monitored to avoid downtime during production.

Three macro areas make up the We Care program: After Sales, Consulting and the Sitma Academy. Here as well, a team of specialists with key technical skills has been assembled to support the effort.

“For us, consultancy plays a fundamental role within the concept of assistance,” Moro said. “At Sitma, we’re constantly studying new customer needs as they arise. We make ourselves available to evaluate solutions that improve production performance, and we propose customized programs that fully embrace the customer’s needs while minimizing fixed maintenance costs.”

The Sitma Academy draws on more than 50 years of know-how to train customer staff that operate and maintain the lines. The company organizes customized training courses designed according to the needs of each individual customer.

Finally, the web provides additional support. A dedicated page on the corporate website allows customers to request information, assistance and advice. An e-commerce portal also lets customers order and purchase consumable components with ease. Soon, the platform will be extended to cover spare parts and machine components that are subject to wear.

Crate-rental provider phs Teacrate has geared up to support organisations who are continuing to supply essential services to the public and seeking to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Some sectors of the food industry are being put under pressure with demand for home delivery in particular rising sharply. This has created unique logistical demands that the food industry and key suppliers to the sector are overcoming together. As a result, Teacrate, which provides crate rental services to food suppliers and retailers among others, is operating at full capacity to meet this need. Supplying crates for online supermarket deliveries and the distribution of fruit and vegetables in store is not just about having the appropriate number of crates held and distributed across the UK from a network of depots, it is also important to ensure that the crates are hygienically distributed and thoroughly cleaned. Teacrate has therefore introduced new infection-control measures which include stringent product sanitisation, contactless delivery and collection, full use of PPE and rigorous hand-washing procedures and cleaning protocols.

In the office market, Teacrate has been busy supplying crates for businesses to transport essential work items for home workers. It has launched a new, homeworking bundle and has officially become a government-approved supplier via the Crown Commercial Service to supply crates and packaging materials to central government and across the public and third sector. In addition, Teacrate’s products are being used by companies providing care packages to the vulnerable ‘at home’ community and by charity organisations providing food banks.

Dan Lee, managing director of phs Teacrate, said: “Across the UK many essential services are doing a fantastic job of supporting the nation through these unprecedented times. As an essential services supplier, we understand our role in delivering an efficient and effective service our dedicated staff and our wide range of products and services mean that we can be relied upon throughout these tough times as well as when things get better for us all.”

Integrator Witron is to design and implement a new automated logistics centre for German food retailer REWE. The Henstedt-Ulzburg site will supply more than 350 stores from August 2022.

Implementing Witron’s OPM (Order Picking Machinery), DPS (Dynamic Picking System), CPS (Car Picking System), and DPP (Display Pallet Picking) solutions, will enable REWE to pick up to 165,000 cases on a peak day in a store-friendly manner at the automated logistics centre. The 86,500 square metres / 931,100 square feet site will store more than 12,000 different items from a dry and fresh food assortment.

“The most important reasons for this investment decision were both ecological and economic factors”, says REWE’s Business Unit Manager Logistics National / Supply Chain Management, Matthias Bähr. “This includes a high level of cost-efficiency along the supply chain as well as a long-term guarantee of an excellent supply of our markets, even in times of crisis. Our sustainability strategy also includes other aspects such as ergonomic workstations, the reduction of CO2 emissions through optimally packed load carriers and, as a result, the reduction of trailer tours. And last but not least, the construction of the warehouse and administration site in accordance with the DGNB Gold Standards (DGNB = German Sustainable Building Council).”