Fimap increases its turnover and doubles its surface area: the company opens a new logistics center
Fimap has recently opened a new logistics center spanning an area of 11,000 square meters, right next to its headquarters in Santa Maria di Zevio, in the province of Verona, Italy. From the outside, the large windows create a sense of continuity with the primary plant, while inside, the company's profound spirit of innovation has given rise to an automated, connected center, which implements the Industry 4.0 model in order to increase levels of efficiency and productivity.
The LOGISTICS CENTER meets the needs that have emerged during the new phase of growth that Fimap is going through, in which higher production volumes, digitalization and the latest product concepts have brought out the need for an appropriate structure.
This growth is due in part to the company’s vision of cleaning, which includes technical and management-related aspects in addition to those pertaining to the product itself. For Fimap, the response to cleaning requirements has never been focused solely on machines, but rather on solutions, which have become more specific and structured over time, thanks to continuous technological updates.
A NEW VISION OF CLEANING
The market has always welcomed this process of evolution, recognizing that the solutions offered by Fimap can provide a more conscious and methodical approach to cleaning.
Fimap has always supported the product improvement with the development of technologies and software, in order to provide the right solution, to make it effective in specific applications and to maintain its efficiency over time, eventually conceiving a systematic process, the FIMAP METHOD.
This is a process that begins even before the purchase of a product, right from the early studies of a cleaning project, with dedicated software that identify the correct machine models, plan the cleaning program, monitor the service progress and the machine performance, and keep track of maintenance, thus ensuring that customer satisfaction and the achievement of targets are virtually scientific, courtesy of the digitization of all phases. The new center closes the circle, leading logistics to 4.0 standards.
The new logistics center is a key tool for Fimap's network of partners to enhance sales, assistance and after-sales activities, with a responsive service that anticipates needs and is ready to intervene promptly when necessary.
By becoming a supplier with the capacity not only to effectively solve a cleaning problem, but also to manage an entire project, Fimap has come to the attention of a range of increasingly important customers who are looking for solutions to complex, multi-faceted problems. The resulting rise in volumes has brought growth rates with double-digit turnover increases, hence the need for expansion.
The LOGISTICS CENTER falls within the METHOD mechanism, enabling it to meet the requirements of a new evolutionary leap which involves both products and services.
Fimap has always supported the product improvement with the development of technologies and software, in order to provide the right solution, to make it effective in specific applications and to maintain its efficiency over time, eventually conceiving a systematic process, the FIMAP METHOD.
This is a process that begins even before the purchase of a product, right from the early studies of a cleaning project, with dedicated software that identify the correct machine models, plan the cleaning program, monitor the service progress and the machine performance, and keep track of maintenance, thus ensuring that customer satisfaction and the achievement of targets are virtually scientific, courtesy of the digitization of all phases. The new center closes the circle, leading logistics to 4.0 standards.
The new logistics center is a key tool for Fimap's network of partners to enhance sales, assistance and after-sales activities, with a responsive service that anticipates needs and is ready to intervene promptly when necessary.
By becoming a supplier with the capacity not only to effectively solve a cleaning problem, but also to manage an entire project, Fimap has come to the attention of a range of increasingly important customers who are looking for solutions to complex, multi-faceted problems. The resulting rise in volumes has brought growth rates with double-digit turnover increases, hence the need for expansion.
The LOGISTICS CENTER falls within the METHOD mechanism, enabling it to meet the requirements of a new evolutionary leap which involves both products and services.
A WHOLE RANGE OF CONFIGURABLE PRODUCTS
In recent years, the Fimap offering has seen the addition of a range of configurable products, in other words, machines that can literally be built with exclusive equipment according to specific needs: the PERFORMANCE LINE of scrubber dryers. Customization is one of the key strengths of Fimap's commercial proposal, making it possible to obtain products that are as unique as the problems they have to solve. From a production perspective, it represents a complex element which involves the handling of material which goes far beyond the needs of a traditional warehouse, both with regard to quantity and variety.
ADVANTAGES FOR THE NETWORK
- Orders processed within 24 hours
- No stock costs
- Improvements in service quality
- Rapid response times including in emergencies
- Increase in assistance interventions
- Order tracking up until dispatch
- Faster processing of requests
- Faster, more stable and error-free management of information
ADVANTAGES FOR THE CUSTOMER
- Higher return on investment
- Always reliable service, without machine downtime
- Increased efficiency of the fleet of machines
- Cost reduction
DIGITIZATION SPEEDS UP THE ORDERING PROCESS
TRANSPARENCY OF INFORMATION, TRACEABILITY AND SPEED
A MADE-TO-MEASURE PRODUCT
As such, the new LOGISTICS CENTER is the result of a tailor-made project, designed to optimize the management of warehouse activities linked to production and distribution, and to meet all requirements in terms of both volume increase and the demand for customization. The new facility is an automated platform which consists of intensive racking systems and a series of vertical warehouses. The handling of the material is carried out by cutting-edge trolleys that ensure fast and accurate picking and storage operations, and which are precise to the nearest millimeter even when working at great heights.
Everything is automatically coordinated by an advanced WMS software that organizes procedures by exchanging information with the existing management systems, in order to improve all the activities related to stocking and retrieving the components required both for production and for the supply of spare parts.
Everything is automatically coordinated by an advanced WMS software that organizes procedures by exchanging information with the existing management systems, in order to improve all the activities related to stocking and retrieving the components required both for production and for the supply of spare parts.
DIGITAL EFFICIENCY
The software optimizes intralogistics processes, speeding up collection and procurement operations, simplifying workflows, reducing the time taken to prepare orders and preventing any potential errors.
This results in a notable increase in productivity and a drastic reduction in costs and operating times.
The project is closely connected to the investments already made by the company, including the recent strengthening of the MY FIMAP B2B E-COMMERCE CHANNEL used by Fimap's network of partners to make purchases directly online: this has now been updated with new functions pertaining to the new center. From the external input - that is, the placing of the order - to the fulfilment thereof, digital technology governs the activities, guaranteeing transparency of information, traceability and speed.
Indeed, ensuring fast response times is another area that the new center is designed to focus on, giving the network a significant strategic advantage. With 24-hour order processing, Fimap's partners can guarantee that their customers receive a fast and effective assistance service, avoiding dreaded downtime which compromises the productivity of operations, thus ensuring a higher return on investment.
Furthermore, the quick response of the new Fimap warehouse ensures partners a simplified management with lower investment, since they no longer have to pay their own stock costs, but just request what they want when the need arises, without additional outlay.
Rapid order processing times are also essential in light of the fact that the network is sizeable, both in terms of numbers and geographically. Fimap exports its products to more than 80 countries around the world, and as such, once the machines are ready, it is important to take into account the fact that the distribution of products uses long and complex logistics chains, where promptness and control are decisive factors.
The integration of digitization enables greater control over processes, makes operations more efficient and anticipates any potential issues. It also allows the Fimap partner to track the progress of their orders in real time, from the moment in which they appear in the My Fimap portal right through to shipping. This last step is also now managed by Fimap, resulting in improved planning efficiency and consequently, more efficient delivery.
The advantages of being able to track orders also have a positive impact in terms of the data that Fimap can collect. The connection between software, devices and machinery feeds back data that enables the company to make more accurate predictions of market requirements, prevent issues relating to management, optimize procurement, preparation and delivery times, and reduce operating costs. The Fimap network now benefits from an almost instantaneous response to its needs, thanks to significant reductions in the time between the placement of the order and the fulfilment thereof, resulting in improved quality of the services the company provides to its customers.
This results in a notable increase in productivity and a drastic reduction in costs and operating times.
The project is closely connected to the investments already made by the company, including the recent strengthening of the MY FIMAP B2B E-COMMERCE CHANNEL used by Fimap's network of partners to make purchases directly online: this has now been updated with new functions pertaining to the new center. From the external input - that is, the placing of the order - to the fulfilment thereof, digital technology governs the activities, guaranteeing transparency of information, traceability and speed.
Indeed, ensuring fast response times is another area that the new center is designed to focus on, giving the network a significant strategic advantage. With 24-hour order processing, Fimap's partners can guarantee that their customers receive a fast and effective assistance service, avoiding dreaded downtime which compromises the productivity of operations, thus ensuring a higher return on investment.
Furthermore, the quick response of the new Fimap warehouse ensures partners a simplified management with lower investment, since they no longer have to pay their own stock costs, but just request what they want when the need arises, without additional outlay.
Rapid order processing times are also essential in light of the fact that the network is sizeable, both in terms of numbers and geographically. Fimap exports its products to more than 80 countries around the world, and as such, once the machines are ready, it is important to take into account the fact that the distribution of products uses long and complex logistics chains, where promptness and control are decisive factors.
The integration of digitization enables greater control over processes, makes operations more efficient and anticipates any potential issues. It also allows the Fimap partner to track the progress of their orders in real time, from the moment in which they appear in the My Fimap portal right through to shipping. This last step is also now managed by Fimap, resulting in improved planning efficiency and consequently, more efficient delivery.
The advantages of being able to track orders also have a positive impact in terms of the data that Fimap can collect. The connection between software, devices and machinery feeds back data that enables the company to make more accurate predictions of market requirements, prevent issues relating to management, optimize procurement, preparation and delivery times, and reduce operating costs. The Fimap network now benefits from an almost instantaneous response to its needs, thanks to significant reductions in the time between the placement of the order and the fulfilment thereof, resulting in improved quality of the services the company provides to its customers.
THE COURAGE TO KEEP GOING
The problems encountered when attempting to get hold of materials over the last two years have had a widespread negative impact on all markets. When the first wave of the pandemic disrupted trade flows which had previously been viewed as rock solid, many companies halted their activities, defeated by the uncertainty that lay ahead. However, as it has done in the past, Fimap chose to keep going.
If the crisis of 2008 was the time to focus on improving products, on engineering and on optimizing the variety and complexity of components in favor of leaner production and simplified maintenance, the Covid-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to dedicate efforts to two key areas.
The first of these is obviously the range of products. At the dawn of the health emergency, as a manufacturer, Fimap felt compelled to take action, and dedicated itself to offering solutions to the market that could meet the requirements of this unprecedented time. The cleaning of spaces rapidly changed from a simple routine to an essential activity in order to safeguard the health of people.
Fimap took the opportunity to build upon its own experience, adding new skills in the field of the sanitization of spaces, and developed an entire range of professional machines for this purpose in record time.
The efforts made to provide the new sanitising range as quickly as possible enabled Fimap to support its partners, keeping production going and making sure that turnover was not affected as well.
While the company's manufacturing activities were undergoing this sudden change in direction, the second major project - the construction of the new logistics center - was proceeding in parallel.
The decision not to halt construction despite the complications arising from the pandemic enabled the project to be completed as planned; it would otherwise have been subject to severe delays, due to issues with the procurement of materials and transportation. A delay to the completion of the project would have undermined the ability of the company to embrace new opportunities in the recovery phase.
If the crisis of 2008 was the time to focus on improving products, on engineering and on optimizing the variety and complexity of components in favor of leaner production and simplified maintenance, the Covid-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to dedicate efforts to two key areas.
The first of these is obviously the range of products. At the dawn of the health emergency, as a manufacturer, Fimap felt compelled to take action, and dedicated itself to offering solutions to the market that could meet the requirements of this unprecedented time. The cleaning of spaces rapidly changed from a simple routine to an essential activity in order to safeguard the health of people.
Fimap took the opportunity to build upon its own experience, adding new skills in the field of the sanitization of spaces, and developed an entire range of professional machines for this purpose in record time.
The efforts made to provide the new sanitising range as quickly as possible enabled Fimap to support its partners, keeping production going and making sure that turnover was not affected as well.
While the company's manufacturing activities were undergoing this sudden change in direction, the second major project - the construction of the new logistics center - was proceeding in parallel.
The decision not to halt construction despite the complications arising from the pandemic enabled the project to be completed as planned; it would otherwise have been subject to severe delays, due to issues with the procurement of materials and transportation. A delay to the completion of the project would have undermined the ability of the company to embrace new opportunities in the recovery phase.
THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA
With an investment of 10 million euros, Fimap’s logistics center establishes a new organizational model that is integrated with that of the company's head office, where the intelligent use of new technologies brings all the advantages that digitized management offers. This provides the foundations necessary in order to support a new phase of growth, which will see Fimap strive to become an increasingly important point of reference for established customers dealing with complex cleaning projects, both nationally and internationally. This is only the beginning for future investments targeted to perfect the company's commercial offering, combining products, services, technology and environmental strategies in order to offer customized solutions that can guarantee continuous improvements, both in terms of efficiency and performance.
This is a project that also provides new opportunities for the territory, creating new jobs even for specialist professionals.
This is a project that also provides new opportunities for the territory, creating new jobs even for specialist professionals.
THE PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABLE LOGISTICS
Supporting more efficient processes is one of the goals of the new facility, and one of the steps that are necessary in order to evolve towards a more sustainable approach to logistics, which adopts a range of measures designed to limit the environmental impact caused by the energy used and the emissions produced.
Technologies developed following the Industry 4.0 model facilitate the automation of warehouse processes, optimize first-mile operating cycles and help to monitor and thus reduce pollution, by rationalizing space and transportation.
With the new logistics center, Fimap also takes care of the management of shipments for the network, and this enables loading plans to be made more efficiently, allowing the maximum quantity of goods to be transported using the minimum number of vehicles, which results in reductions both in the number of collections and the number of journeys made, which consequently serves to reduce the CO2 produced.
The facility is not only automated, but has also been designed with a roof covered in photovoltaic panels that makes it almost self-sufficient, meeting 70% of the plant's energy needs.
With the new logistics center, Fimap also takes care of the management of shipments for the network, and this enables loading plans to be made more efficiently, allowing the maximum quantity of goods to be transported using the minimum number of vehicles, which results in reductions both in the number of collections and the number of journeys made, which consequently serves to reduce the CO2 produced.
The facility is not only automated, but has also been designed with a roof covered in photovoltaic panels that makes it almost self-sufficient, meeting 70% of the plant's energy needs.
