Sacmi steps up investment in intralogistics

From software architecture to robotics, the launch of the Sacmi Intralogistics BU marks a new approach to intralogistics management in the ceramics, rigid packaging and other sectors.

After two years of investment and on-site development, Sacmi has taken another decisive step forward in industrial innovation with the creation of the new Sacmi Intralogistics Business Unit. This project aims to redefine the paradigms of intralogistics management, not only in the ceramic sector but also in rigid packaging and other manufacturing industries.

To set itself apart from international competitors, the new BU offers high-added-value, customer-oriented solutions focused on the digitalisation of the corporate supply chain. This transformation is driven by the integration of cutting-edge software architectures and robotic solutions, coordinated through digital twin modelling.

The first installation, recently inaugurated in Friuli-Venezia Giulia for a major player in the woodworking industry, marks the practical launch of expertise that Sacmi has already field-tested internally. By spring, the new automated warehouse will be operational at Sacmi’s headquarters in Imola to support its own production activities.

Real-time production flow management

What makes the Sacmi Intralogistics approach unique is above all the central role played by software architecture and process control. Intralogistics is no longer seen as a single machine or plant solution, but as a strategic response to real-time production and information flow requirements: from the procurement of raw materials and semi-finished products through to finished product storage, shipping order preparation and truck loading.

Bringing together different technologies to optimise processes while reducing costs and inefficiencies has always been at the heart of Sacmi’s mission. Through its Global Network, the company gathers daily feedback from customers worldwide with the aim of reducing time-to-market and increasing partner satisfaction by offering innovative tools and providing continuous support. The company is also able to adapt and customise solutions from different manufacturing sectors.

Intralogistics for large slabs

In the ceramic sector, intralogistics is particularly critical for large slabs, from the management of semi-finished products to finished product storage and order composition. Here too, the starting point is not a single machine but the plant’s supervision and management software.

With the HERE SACMI extension and real-time tracking (which assigns a digital identity to each individual slab), Sacmi has introduced a completely new approach to warehouse management. While the primary warehouse continues to serve the production process, a second area acts as a dynamic buffer designed for more rapid and efficient order fulfilment. This is achieved through newly developed solutions based on picking islands and automatic sequencers, which double the efficiency of manual or semi-automatic systems while ensuring total traceability, quality and the integrity of every slab handled.

The Sacmi Intralogistics digital platform, complete with vision and AI applications, allows for the seamless integration of any automatic material handling system. The formula adopts a “distributed and decentralised” logic, deployed through robotics and autonomous industrial vehicles (LGVs and AMRs).

By decoupling the flows between production and shipping, the system is no longer dependent on a single technology. Instead, the most effective configuration will be defined on a case-by-case basis according to specific objectives, drawing on solutions already adopted in the ceramic industry or in other sectors.

The Easy Factory: from raw material to shipment

Through the use of software, autonomous vehicles, robotics and artificial vision systems, Sacmi Intralogistics provides customers with an all-round response that includes cutting-edge digital twin simulations and offers a rapid return on investment. The new business unit completes the Group’s offering in a key area for the future of its core businesses while opening up new growth opportunities both in the ceramic sector and beyond. The new Intralogistics BU consolidates the Easy Factory concept, creating a fully integrated, end-to-end solution for ceramic plants and positioning Sacmi as a single-source provider of complete, turnkey lines, from raw materials to final shipment. This is a particularly important development for the large slab sector where high-added-value products with specific needs require groundbreaking solutions that go beyond traditional product logistics.