Industry
Food & beverage
Graziano: 5 SILO² for Colour Batch Picking in Confectionery and Party Supplies
- Food & Beverage
- SILO²
- Finished products
Faster multi-order picking: up to 12 orders processed simultaneously
In B2B and e-commerce distribution of confectionery and party products, picking speed and accuracy are critical: multiple orders, similar SKUs and growing volumes require a process that scales without increasing errors.
Graziano accelerated order fulfilment with five SILO² vertical automated systems, introducing Color Batch Picking with the IRIDE system. Each operator processes multiple orders simultaneously, guided by light beams that indicate each item to pick.
Product
SILO²
Key results
• +100% picking productivity
• Zero picking errors
Key features
• Color Batch Picking with IRIDE
• Optimised use of corner space
Graziano: production and distribution for the confectionery world
Founded in 1975, Graziano is a key player in the production and distribution of ingredients, semi-finished products, decorations and baking equipment, as well as party supplies. It operates throughout Italy via a structured sales network and digital channels, including e-commerce and marketplaces, handling a high volume of orders from both retailers and end customers.
In this context, logistics is more than an operational function. It is essential to ensuring on-time deliveries when demand peaks, during events, holidays and seasonal surges.
In this context, logistics is more than an operational function. It is essential to ensuring on-time deliveries when demand peaks, during events, holidays and seasonal surges.
The logistical challenges
As the business grew and sales channels expanded, warehouse processes needed to be reorganised.
The goal was to improve efficiency without increasing operational complexity or headcount.
The main critical issues were:
- a significant increase in the number of SKUs to manage
- high variability between B2B and eCommerce orders
- seasonal peaks such as Christmas, Easter and Valentine’s Day are difficult to absorb without additional shifts
- the need for faster and more accurate picking across all channels
- inefficient operational flows with long travel distances between shelving units
5 multi-column SILO² VLMs in corner configuration
The five SILO² VLMs, approximately 4.5 metres high and each featuring three storage columns, are installed side by side to fully exploit the building’s corner footprint, a layout not possible with single-column systems.
The internal handling system serves all columns, including end positions, ensuring full access to every storage location without additional travel. Within just 116 m², the system provides nearly 110 m³ of storage capacity and manages around 11,000 SKUs. Half of these are high-turnover items stored in SILO² VLMs under FIFO logic, covering approximately 50% of all daily picking operations.
Large or low-turnover items continue to be stored in traditional racking systems.
The internal handling system serves all columns, including end positions, ensuring full access to every storage location without additional travel. Within just 116 m², the system provides nearly 110 m³ of storage capacity and manages around 11,000 SKUs. Half of these are high-turnover items stored in SILO² VLMs under FIFO logic, covering approximately 50% of all daily picking operations.
Large or low-turnover items continue to be stored in traditional racking systems.
Color Batch Picking with IRIDE enables the simultaneous preparation of up to 12 orders in a single picking cycle
All orders flow into the SWEET management system, which groups them into batches of up to 12 and sends them to the WMS integrated with ICON. IRIDE guides operators with coloured light beams, where each colour represents a specific order and ensures one-to-one picking accuracy.
Items are placed into containers marked with the corresponding colour. Barcode readers record every operation in real time.
A 112-item batch is processed in under 45 minutes.
Items are placed into containers marked with the corresponding colour. Barcode readers record every operation in real time.
A 112-item batch is processed in under 45 minutes.
Key results
Faster, more accurate and better organised order management
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+100% picking productivity
From 60 to 120 picks per hour per operator, already achieved within 6 months
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Up to 12 simultaneous orders
Multi-order fulfilment in a single cycle with colour batch picking
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100+ SKU lists in under 45 minutes
Faster throughput across all channels
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Zero picking errors
IRIDE visual guidance and barcode support eliminate retrieval mistakes
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Optimised space
110 m³ of storage concentrated in 116 m², including angular floor areas
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Seasonal peaks under control
Stable operations at Christmas and Easter without extra shifts
We introduced a solution that allowed us to increase speed and accuracy in order preparation, managing even the seasonal peaks without difficulty.
Discover the Graziano project and explore further details of the solution
Discover the solution implemented at Graziano
SILO²: the Vertical Lift Module
From 2 to 7 storage columns, over 120 tray size configurations and a specific tray load bearing capacity of up to 1,000 kg/m²: SILO² is ICAM’s solution for high-density storage of small and medium-sized items.
Explore SILO²
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