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Tag: Italy

Fives automates Italian logistics centre

Posted on by David Priestman

Fives, a preferred partner for transforming supply chain facilities, continues to grow in the micro-fulfilment sector and is set to implement an AutoStore solution.

The new automation project for a logistics centre in Italy demonstrates once again Fives’ leadership in intralogistics and the success of its micro-fulfilment-based strategy, which supports the growth of the retail, e-commerce and 3PL sectors.

Fives has been chosen by KEY-4 to integrate the AutoStore technology into a 3,000 sq m extension to the existing 8,000 sq m warehouse in Fasano (province of Brindisi, Italy) for a leading distributor of electrical and lighting equipment.

The distributor wants to optimise the automation of the processing of its multiple items in stock and to develop its e-commerce activity; the “AutoStore empowered by Fives” solution therefore fully meets this need.

Unparalleled performance

The AutoStore technology is complementary to Fives’ technology portfolio and allows it to expand its offering to piece picking to support its customers in the challenges of omnichannel automation, while giving AutoStore an extra boost to tackle the French, Spanish and Italian markets where Fives demonstrates leading positions.

Thanks to Fives’ expertise as a supplier and integrator of advanced automation technologies and its intimate understanding of its customers’ processes and objectives, the new “AutoStore empowered by Fives” warehouse, consisting of 9,000 bins for two picking stations, has been specially designed in an ergonomic way to increase the current storage capacity in a reduced space and to offer optimal work safety and conditions for the operators.

AutoStore empowered by Fives

Each station will allow the preparation of two orders simultaneously and to process a flow of approximately 1,500 orders/day.

The facility equipped with the “AutoStore empowered by Fives” solution will be operational in July 2023.

“These solutions for optimising order preparation are one of the differentiation and competitiveness criteria for our customers. As we continue to grow in Southern Europe, we are proud to contribute to the business development of our customers, supporting their industrial performance. We’ve enjoyed a great partnership with AutoStore over the past year and look forward to future projects,” says Zakariae Haoudi, Sales Director of Fives Intralogistics SAS, specialised in automated picking solutions and advanced technologies for micro-fulfilment.

“We are thrilled with this project and particularly welcome Fives‘ strong presence in Southern Europe and its position as a leader in intralogistics, which helps us to grow,” declares Antonio Ammirabile, CEO of KEY-4, a general contractor with significant experience in managing integrated and complex projects and technological innovations in the fields of Industry 4.0 and Industrial-IoT.

 

HAI displays warehouse automation technology

Posted on by David Priestman

HAI ROBOTICS, a pioneer in Autonomous Case-handling Robot (ACR) systems for warehouse logistics, will for the first time display its technology in Italy, at the upcoming Intralogistica Italia 2022 from 3rd-6th May in Fiera Milano.

The company, with European headquarters in the Netherlands, will run live demos of its solution with HAIPICK A42 robot at the tradeshow in Italy (Booth C11/D12 Hall 10), which sees rising demand for more flexible and cost-efficient Goods-to-Person order-picking solutions as e-commerce grows fast in recent years.

Davide Tuzi, HAI ROBOTICS‘ Country Manager Italy, said: “Our ACR system is an excellent solution for the challenges the Italian warehousing/logistics market is facing, and an excellent solution deserves a team of excellent people to support it. This is the kind of team we are building up in Europe, and in Italy in particular.

“We aim to create a local network of system integrator, installation and service partners, so that any user of ACR systems can expect rapid and high-quality service wherever they are in Italy.”

The second-largest manufacturing country in Europe, Italy has strong curiosity for automation, including automating warehouses and distribution centres, as the government is pushing forward to develop Industry 4.0, Tuzi said.

As the EU’s third-largest economy, Italy registers solid growth in e-commerce, catalysed by Covid-19 lockdown. The country is the 14th-largest market for eCommerce with a revenue of US$26bn in 2021, according to Statista Digital Market Outlook.

Also, as fewer people want to do hard manual labour, the lack of enough qualified workers is another driver for warehouses in Italy to turn their eyes on automation, Tuzi said, noting robots will improve the work environment in warehouses.

HAI ROBOTICS‘ ACR systems, using HAIPICK robots doing picking and sorting, offer a warehousing efficiency of three to four times faster than manual work and allow maximum space utilisation. The HAIPICK A42 robot can reach as high as 8m and carry eight loads of totes/cartons in one movement to continuously feed Goods-to-Person stations. The robot, supported by AI algorithms and equipped with high-precision cameras, boasts 99.99% picking and sorting accuracy, thus eliminating the risk of returns due to errors.

The ACR systems can be implemented in a very short time and are easily scalable. Clients can scale the project according to their growth curves with little disruption to operation. Hence, they are ideal for existing warehouses.

The systems have been implemented in more than 500 projects around the world, including leading brands of e-commerce, 3PL, manufacturing and apparels, many of which have faced strong seasonal peaks.

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Honeywell and Hai Robotics Collaborate

 

Verallia enhances sustainability with Metrocargo

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Verallia, a European leader and the world’s third-largest producer of glass packaging for beverages and food products with 32 glass plants in 11 countries, has successfully concluded the tests to manage, through intermodality, inbound and outbound logistics between Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto in Italy.

The project, which involves the railway terminal in Borgo San Dalmazzo (Cuneo) and Verallia plants in Gazzo Veronese (Verona), Villa Poma (Mantua) and Lonigo (Vicenza), was studied and carried out thanks to the commitment of Sibelco Italia with the essential support of multimodal transport operator Metrocargo Italia.

Metrocargo Italia has operated in Borgo San Dalmazzo since 2018, when it started also in the province of Cuneo a new branching of its service for the delivery of various import/export product categories started in 2013 in partnership with railway undertaking FuoriMuro Servizi Portuali e Ferroviari (owned by Metrocargo Italia for a 28.6% share) for rail traction and with local carriers to manage first- and last-mile by truck.

As explained by Melania Molini, General Manager at Metrocargo Italia, the services provides the rail transport of raw material (sand) between Borgo San Dalmazzo (Cuneo) and Valdaro (Mantua) and the return to Piedmont, always managed by rail, with the outbound finished product (glass bottles): “We have demonstrated that it is possible to saturate the train improving the balance of round-trips, assuring to our customers increasingly satisfactory costs and higher levels of service with very positive impacts on the reduction of the emissions of CO2.”.

Operatively, this model of innovative logistics will allow to manage the transport of about 68,000 pallets per year towards Piedmont, with an annual saving of 2,366t of CO2, equal to those absorbed in a year by a forest of 80,000 trees.

Antonino Virgillito, Supply Chain Director at Verallia Italia says: “Our commitment to sustainability continues with very positive results; in fact, in 2021 we reduced our total polluting emissions by 12% compared to the previous year. This figure increases significantly if we consider the only transport of sand – one of our raw materials – that until 2019 was handled only by truck.

“Thanks to this important partnership and to the choice of rail transport, we can avoid 45% of emissions and take 4,000 trucks off the roads every year, thus reducing pollution and congestion of road arteries.”

MHS automates Italian sorting centre

Posted on by David Priestman

GLS, General Logistics Systems B.V. has chosen MHS to automate its new international sorting centre in Sordio, Italy. The new hub – strategically located near the city of Milan – will serve companies in international trade, with efficient and quality services.

GLS will be provided with a state-of-the-art automated solution equipped with three main sorting systems, and performing an overall throughput of 22,500pph. With an interconnected flow, two HC-Loop cross-belt systems will sort regular and small parcels, and one automated linear system will handle and detect irregular items.

From system design to production, installation, commissioning, and after sales, MHS will support GLS along the entire project.

“The project confirms our commitment to being partner of choice,” says Markus Augeneder, CEO MHS International. “We are the one-stop shop in the parcel market, and we aim to offer premium services through our solutions. The facility will contribute to a significant level-up of operations by processing all kind of parcels that enter the hub.”

MHS worked together with the customer to optimise the courier’s parcel handling process. That means a solution fully integrated into the overall operational activities, while increasing efficiency and job safety.

The project is a future-proof solution, with the possibility of further expansions or adaptions considering the continued upwards trend of the e-commerce market.

“The new hub will serve the increasing volume of international deliveries,” says Klaus Schädle, Group Area Managing Director GLS, “representing an important stage of our broader growth and business strategy. We have invested significantly in recent years to continue to offer our customers an extensive, efficient and high-quality service.”

The new international hub covers an area of 12,034 sq m including the sorting centre, offices, and ancillary structures, and it is furnished with a wide green area of more than 4.000 sq m.

Hines makes significant Italian real estate investment

Posted on by Keith McKinley

International real estate firm Hines has reached a binding agreement for an off-market investment to acquire 20 logistics assets located between Emilia Romagna and Lombardy through the Italian fund HEVF II Italy managed by Prelios SGR on behalf of the Hines European Value Fund 2 (HEVF 2).

The transaction involves the acquisition of the real estate portfolio from four different selling companies and the simultaneous 15-year lease of the same portfolio to Snatt Logistica Group, a leader in the third-party logistics (3PL) sector focusing exclusively on the fashion industry.

The portfolio of 20 logistics assets provides a total of 200,000 sq m of logistics space around Milan, Parma, Reggio Emilia and Bologna. They are strategic, well-established logistic centres that enjoy effective, rapid connections with Italy’s main cities and the rest of Europe.

The off-market investment was completed on behalf of the HEVF 2, which is targeting logistics assets in key locations across Europe. This latest investment adds to HEVF 2’s recent investment in four new industrial and logistics assets in Northern Italy in Bologna, Tortona, Montichiari and Brescia, totalling over 180,000 sq m of class A space. When combined with the Fund’s additional logistics assets across Europe, HEVF 2 now has an aggregate logistics portfolio of over €700m.

Snatt Logistica Group, a leading logistics operator in Italy, is currently managing the assets and following the transaction will become the tenant. Snatt Logistica Group specialises in the handling, storage and distribution of goods for third parties in the fashion industry via multiple channels including e-commerce.

Snatt Logistica Group, with a turnover of c.€60m in 2021, thanks to a multi-year industrial plan with strong growth prospects, manages various distribution centres in Europe and across the world, often in exclusive relationships with some of the most important and iconic international fashion brands.

Snatt Logistica Group also uses an innovative distribution method, characterised by technological automation, with a storage model based on the exploitation of cubic volume via the most modern and efficient customised storage structures, based on the specific needs of each customer. Snatt Logistica Group also provides additional product customisation services, carried out directly at the logistics assets themselves.

For example, some of the warehouses are equipped with 3D printer and embroidery machines, operated by skilled, reliable professionals for tailor made customisation. This is also made possible thanks to an innovative proprietary management information system (WMS), constantly evolving, to satisfy the ever-increasing customer requests for process customisation.

Selecting a partner like Snatt Logistica Group falls within Hines’ strategy to identify companies within its own supply chain that have a strong approach to ESG. Snatt Logistica Group focuses on an investment policy with sustainability embedded into its business processes to include environmental, social and human issues, focusing on the wellbeing of its employees and their families, as well as on the local territory and the promotion of activities in favour of culture, art, and community connection.

Over the last 12 months, Hines has developed a logistics platform of almost 600,000 sq m across Northern Italy with an investment of around €500m in 2021.

Hines’ focus on the logistics sector in Italy aligns with rapidly growing demand, as demonstrated by the increasing number of international tenants that are settling in Northern Italy – an area that covers 15% of the overall number of square metres currently rented out nationally with a vacancy rate of c.2%. The sector is also undergoing significant transformation both in terms of logistics structures themselves and their locations in cities. This means investors are adopting a new approach to logistics assets including their planning, development, and connections to important touchpoints such as shops in town centres.

“We are pleased to start 2022 with an important investment in the logistics sector that consolidates our presence in the main intersections in Northern Italy,” commented Mario Abbadessa, senior managing director & country head of Hines Italy. “At Hines, we believe in the potential of the logistics sector in Italy and have set an investment target of around €1bn in 2022. We are proud to collaborate with Snatt Logistica Group, which is an international 3PL logistics leader in the luxury fashion industry, and we are certain that we will be able to develop a shared path for growth, guided by common values, including ESG, which is key to our DNA.”

Paul White, senior managing director and fund manager for HEVF 2 at Hines, commented: “This is an attractive portfolio of assets with a strong, innovative tenant at the forefront of Italy’s fast-growing third-party logistics sector for the fashion industry. We believe that e-commerce will continue to drive long-term demand for high quality logistics facilities in Italy’s northern cities, pushing the value of these investments forwards, while there is also a significant opportunity to enhance the sustainability performance of existing assets here.

“This is aligned with our ESG objectives as recognised by GRESB, with HEVF 2 achieving the award of Overall Global Sector Leader in the Diversified Office/Retail category for sustainability performance in 2021.”

Hines was advised by Cappelli RCCD, EY and Yard Reaas Group. Snatt Logistica Group was assisted by White & Case, Studio Dicierre and Studio Mattioli.

 

Cutting-edge Verona logistics park gets funding

Posted on by Keith McKinley

International real estate firm Hines has finalised a major investment in a new state-of-the-art logistics project in Verona, Italy as part of a joint venture with a major international private equity player. At completion, the project is expected to require an investment of up to €300m via the Vicus I fund managed by Prelios SGR.

The logistics park in Vigasio, in the province of Verona, will be developed over two phases; the first, requiring an investment of €120m, will lead to the construction of four buildings over an area of 200,000 sq m by 2023. The second, will involve a further investment of up to €180m. Upon construction completion, the site will seek LEED Gold certification, in accordance with the highest international environmental sustainability and energy efficiency criteria.

The Vigasio area is home to many major international companies and represents a strategic hub connecting Italy and Northern Europe (Germany and Austria) along the A22 Autostrada del Brennero, carving itself out as an ideal logistics hub. In the coming years, an additional motorway exit is scheduled to open in front of the Vigasio logistics park further maximising transportation access and efficiency.

The transaction is part of Hines’ broader logistics strategy throughout Europe to deliver first-class buildings and services for logistics customers. In Italy, the firm has developed a platform of over 380,000 sq m, which, in addition to the Vigasio logistics hub, includes the investments made in Bologna in the Castel San Pietro area, and in Northern Italy with three properties in Tortona, Brescia and Montichiari. In light of the transactions year to date, Hines is on track to deploy €1bn of capital in the logistics sector in Italy by the end of 2022.

The logistics market continues to represent an asset class of great interest for Hines due to multiple factors including strong growth in demand, e-commerce development trends, a vacancy rate standing at just 2.1% in Italy along with attractive rates of return. Additionally, logistics in the North East of Italy continues to grow in importance and an increasing number of multinational tenants are choosing this location which currently covers 15% of the total square metres leased nationwide.

Mario Abbadessa, Senior Managing Director & Country Head of Hines in Italy, says: “We have great interest in the industrial and logistics asset class and aim to become a statement player in Italy in this fascinating sector. Our target is to invest €1bn in industrial and logistics by the end of 2022 and our investment philosophy is underpinned by innovation.

“With this transaction we are further expanding our logistics platform in the North East area, and over the coming months we will continue to focus on both logistics parks and last-mile logistics across the main Italian cities.”

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