Bindi
Famous Pastries Tracked from Production to Delivery, Improving Productivity and Reducing Costs
“The ability to manage our entire logistics trail, facilitated by Psion Teklogix, has significantly improved our productivity, and reduced our costs.” – Dr. Scurati, Operations Director, Bindi
Founded in Milan, Italy in 1946, Bindi is world-renowned for its imaginative ice creams, cakes and desserts. Over the years, traditional skills and original recipes have been combined with modern production techniques to ensure consistent, high-quality products for their customers. The company sells fresh and frozen product and produces roughly 35,000 pastries per day. It supplies 180 concessions, provides other companies with products for branding, as well as selling directly to the final consumer via its own stores. The result is extremely complex logistics.
The Challenge:
- Volume and variety of Bindi’s products make logistics management extremely complex, where staff must manage an extraordinary number of references for various types of customers with different service requirements:
- Warehouse holds approximately 8,000 pallet sections and manages approximately 700 different codes
- 70,000 to 80,000 containers delivered per year, each with multiple layers - requires an incredible amount of sorting
- Equipment must be able to withstand environmental conditions
- Main warehouse is kept at a temperature of -30°C (22°F) to maintain the quality of its frozen products. Thus, equipment is constantly passing from temperatures of -30°C (-22°F) to approximately 0°C (32°F). Thermal increase results in condensation, which can be harmful to most electronic equipment and cables.
- Main warehouse is kept at a temperature of -30°C (22°F) to maintain the quality of its frozen products. Thus, equipment is constantly passing from temperatures of -30°C (-22°F) to approximately 0°C (32°F). Thermal increase results in condensation, which can be harmful to most electronic equipment and cables.
The Solution:
- Psion Teklogix implemented an automatic identification system based on narrowband radio frequency transmission
- The system is comprised of two Psion Teklogix Wireless Gateways:
- one operates as a mini-controller
- one operates as a Base Station on slave mode, managed via the Ethernet, using TCP/IP protocol
- To support automatic identification system, Bindi adopted rugged Psion Teklogix hardware that has been tested and proven to withstand the frigid warehouse conditions. The hardware included:
- five handheld terminals
- four full-screen vehicle mount terminals, and
- eight scanners
- Automated system identifies products by means of barcode and tracks products from production through to delivery
- When products arrive at warehouse, operators determine from terminal product location based on the required conditions and optimization of warehouse space
- System determines product availability upon receipt of customer order, and operators receive all order information and verification via their terminals, and arrange for product loading onto appropriate vehicles
- The system retains all the information on the released product, including the name of the customer to whom it has been sent
The Benefits:
- Improved productivity and reduced costs as a result of having complete asset visibility from production through to final delivery
- Rugged hardware that can withstand the harsh conditions of the Bindi warehouse has resulted improved operational efficiency and effectiveness
- Future flexibility to further improve operations – Psion Teklogix technology is compatible with most software applications, and hence, is not limited to automatic product identification and the management of product expiration dates
