Flexibility, digitisation and 4.0 logistics management are Berardi’s answer to the effects of the Covid-19 crisis. With its Kanban and Kanban Up services, its customers can forget about the management of components, guaranteeing a constant and measured supply of fasteners, hydraulic fittings, PPE and more.
Headquartered in Castel Guelfo, Bologna, and with a network of 12 depots across Italy, Berardi Bullonerie Srl also has three subsidiaries – Vibolt, Vitman and VIBF Fastener – as well as a representative office in Croatia and a sales branch in Morocco. With its Kanban systems, the company easily tackles fluctuating demand, reducing the need for warehousing space, while providing technical assistance and counsilling.
“Every Kanban service is custom-made, to better suit each client’s production needs. Thanks to the experience gathered with over 400 Kanban services in Italy, we quickly understand the potential advantages and issues to set-up a tailor-made project for any situation,” comments Andrea Destro, logistics manager at Berardi Fasteners.
Berardi’s services include Kanban – through monitoring and notifications from the logistics team, the services are updated following changes in production needs – and Kanban Up. Each item is tracked, down to the individual container, production unit/ line, workspace and operator. Batches are traceable and information is constantly updated on the Kanban cards, with ‘real time’ changes – even remotely. Orders can be placed through the dedicated web portal or simply sent via the smartphone App. Clear information on the packaging units allows for easy location of each item and easy refilling of the containers directly on the shelves.
Also available is S-BBK, a digital Kanban container, with electronic capacity sensors that transmit stock information in ‘real time’, in order to make supplies fully automatic. When the amount within a given S-BBK container goes below the pre-set point of reorder, the information system generates a purchase order, which is sent on the scheduled days.
“It is essential to exploit the value created along the supply chain, between producer, distributor and final user, especially in the dynamic economic context we experience today. Planning and forecasts are by now obsolete tools upon which we cannot rely anymore,” states Andrea. “We have always seen innovation as a goal, but this pandemic forced us to make sudden changes that involved our people and working processes. We firstly focused all our efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of our employees and business partners, to avoid service breakdowns and to satisfy our clients’ demands, as well as secure regular supplies from our sources – with new logistics tools specially designed for this.”
Optimal supply chain management is founded on constant communication between its actors, so that costs and benefits are evenly distributed among them. “All of this would not be possible without cutting-edge ERP and Business Intelligence, capable of providing frequent and precise analysis – easy to interpret and translate into effective strategies to help the client,” comments Andrea.
All these elements combine to deliver the high-level of service and reliability for which Berardi is known, even in times like these that are characterised by uncertainty. All the companies of the Berardi Group manage tens or hundreds of different types of parts, taking care of purchasing, warehousing and documents. During the Covid-19 emergency, when production was often intermittent, Kanban clients were never forced to stop production due to out of stocks, saving revenues thanks to smart stock management.
“To conclude we were among the first to digitise our sourcing process, cut order management costs, and free up resources to be invested in more profitable activities. Now this approach is widely required in the evolving scenario of remote working.”
Biog
Having spent a decade in the fastener industry experiencing every facet – from steel mills, fastener manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, as well as machinery builders and plating + coating companies, Claire has developed an in-depth knowledge of all things fasteners.
Alongside visiting numerous companies, exhibitions and conferences around the world, Claire has also interviewed high profile figures – focusing on key topics impacting the sector and making sure readers stay up to date with the latest developments within the industry.
