Samo Case Study: -15% errors, -10% inefficiencies, -20% handling times

Samo S.p.A. is part of Samo Industries, a group comprising SAMO, INDA and Linea Beta, with approximately 500 employees, five main production units, a commercial presence in more than 45 countries, and total group revenues exceeding €100 million.

For Samo, the digitalization of logistics and production flows was driven by the goal of increasing the level of service provided to customers. The project with Stesi began in 2021 with production and was progressively extended to warehouse management, finished goods and shipping operations.

The chosen solution is silwa, Stesi’s SCES platform, integrated with SAP, Kardex vertical storage systems and the main factory automation systems.

“The entire process of internal material handling, layout management, goods preparation and production lines replenishment was only possible thanks to the introduction of Stesi’s solution” ⁓ Mirko Venturato, Manufacturing Manager at Samo S.p.A.

Logistics challenges in the furniture industry and initial issues

Samo’s make-to-order model, high product customization and tight delivery times made production particularly complex. The company therefore needed a system capable of integrating and coordinating materials, production and logistics. Before the introduction of MES and WMS, some activities required significant time and involved manual information management. The main requirements included:

• quickly locating materials within the warehouses;
• rapidly checking the feasibility of production orders;
• coordinating production line replenishment;
• properly managing material refills at production islands;
• reducing picking errors;
• keeping inventory levels up to date;
• improving coordination between the office, warehouse and production.

The need for greater control was particularly important in picking operations: Samo handles approximately 2,000 pieces per day and manages numerous highly similar item codes, sometimes differing by just one character.

The Solution

Stesi implemented silwa, a SCES (Supply Chain Execution System) that integrates WMS functionality for warehouse management and MES functionality for production within a single system.

The solution was connected to the SAP ERP system and vertical storage systems, enabling the digital management of storage locations and material movements. The project also introduced:

• production line replenishment;
• integration with SAP;
• connection with Kardex vertical storage systems;
• management of Kanban refills for production islands;
• automatic calculation of production order feasibility;
• management of customer order trips;
• perpetual inventory and real-time inventory updates during picking;
• optimized picking routes;
• data collection and activity management through mobile devices;
• integration with Wi-Fi portable printers;
• connection with Gema painting machines.

In a second phase, the project was extended to shipping operations through silwaCARRIER, integrating carrier management and package labeling.

Results

The digitalization of the processes made warehouse and production operations faster, reducing manual activities and improving material control throughout the process.

The project provided Samo with complete material traceability and greater integration between logistics and production activities.