Overview
The Italian company, Distillerie Bonollo Umberto Spa (Bonollo Distilleries), is renown all over the world for its grappa and liquors. The art of distilling grappa has been handed down from generation to generation in the Bonollo family since the 1800s, with the family starting the actual company in 1908. That year, Giuseppe Bonollo, the head of one of the most important grappa dynasties existing today, began using innovative steam heated pot stills that improved the sensory features of grappa compared to the traditional version. Back then, the Bonollo family was already a pioneer in the use of modern technology.
The Challenge
In order to adapt to a continuously changing market and to optimize all the company’s processes, which range from both raw materials tracking to correct management of the finished product and from component warehouse to preparing orders for shipment, Distillerie Bonollo decided to opt for modern technology once again, implementing a bar code data collection system with Wi-Fi connection for its warehouse in Mestrino. The device chosen for the job would have to be rugged, reliable, and ergonomic to work in a warehouse environment in which approximately 5,000 products are handled, each classified by type of grappa, liquor, and packaging.
The Solution
Distillerie Bonollo determined that Datalogic’s Wi-Fi version of the Skorpio™ mobile computer had a perfect blend of the elements needed for the company’s purposes. Its rugged housing protects it from multiple drops, shocks and falls, while its light weight and excellent ergonomy makes operator handling easier. Equipped with Datalogic’s ‘Green Spot’ patented technology, the operator’s job also becomes faster and bar code reading more efficient as instant good-read feedback is obtained with a green spot that appears directly on the code. Above all, the Skorpio mobile computer’s wireless communication capabilities guarantee real time data transfer to the central system and instant updates.
The Skorpio mobile computer can first be seen at the incoming goods area of the warehouse, recording the raw materials that arrive, such as caps, bottles, labels, and boxes. These items are then moved to a buffer warehouse next to the bottling lines and are placed in chronological order to ensure correct tracking. When the bottling process ends, the finished products are transferred to a storage area, where they remain until they can be checked and assigned a location in the finished product area. After verification and placement, order preparation begins. The Skorpio mobile computer ensures correct product picking so orders can be prepared quickly and accurately for shipment.
The Results
Datalogic’s solution in Distillerie Bonollo’s warehouse has increased efficiency with a notable reduction in errors, especially concerning fragmented orders. With the Skorpio mobile computer, the company maintains precise data on the thousands of items that pass through the warehouse and processes orders for pallets, boxes and even single bottles accurately and on time.
“We have always focused on providing high quality products using the best technologies available to continuously improve our processes,” declared Elvio Bonollo, Marketing and Communication Manager at Distillerie Bonollo. “We want to continue optimizing and innovating our company in the future. Automation will help us move forward in this direction.”
Customer: Distillerie Bonollo
Industry/Sub-industry: Manufacturing/Food & Beverage
Application: Tracking
Country: Italy
Datalogic Product: Skorpio™ mobile computer
