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Industrial

Captex: 4 COMPATTA Systems for fashion fabric storage and colour-coded picking

  • Appareal
  • COMPATTA
  • Rolls of fabric
4 COMPATTA ICAM systems with 26 mobile bases for fabric roll storage — Captex, Nola (NA)

In fashion, fabric logistics must stay one season ahead

For more than 30 years, Captex has supplied fashion fabrics to customers in Italy and around the world, serving both fast-fashion and programmed production models. Tight lead times and seasonal demand require immediate stock availability and reliable order preparation.
Before relocating, storage capacity was spread across multiple off-site warehouses. Limited space, long travel distances and a lack of centralised inventory visibility made logistics increasingly difficult to manage.
With the arrival of the third generation and the move to Nola, Captex brought all logistics operations under one roof. To support this transformation, the company installed 4 COMPATTA mobile racking systems with the support of STILL, an ICAM Solution Partner, creating organised storage for more than 100,000 fabric rolls.

Industry

Fashion & textile

Product

COMPATTA

Key results

• 2× storage capacity within the same footprint
• 50 daily orders of 30–40 fabric rolls
• Full traceability across ICON, ERP and WMS

Key feature

– LUX and PICKING options
– Seasonal colour-based storage allocation

Captex: 30 years of fabrics for Italian and international fashion

With over 30 years in wholesale fabric distribution, importing from China, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, Spain, France, Bulgaria and Poland, Captex supplies manufacturing companies across northern Italy and major national and international fashion brands. In 2020, the company relocated from its historic San Giuseppe Vesuviano site to the Nola (NA) industrial district, close to the Campania interport, to consolidate its entire inventory and redesign its logistics processes.

In a market where collections change every season and orders must be fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy across tens of thousands of references, the fabric warehouse is a direct competitive lever.
Captex: 30 years of fabrics for Italian and international fashion

The logistical challenges

Before consolidating operations in Nola, inventory was spread across several off-site warehouses.

 

The new facility had to do more than centralise storage. It had to create the capacity needed for future growth.

The main critical issues were:

  • inventory distributed across multiple sites, limiting stock visibility and creating unnecessary travel time
  • storage capacity struggling to keep pace with growth from domestic to international markets
  • order preparation too slow for 50 daily orders of 30 to 40 rolls each
  • no structured system to manage colour and seasonal complexity across a large, constantly evolving range

4 COMPATTA mobile racking systems with LUX and PICKING options

The 4 COMPATTA storage systems include a total of 26 double-sided mobile bases with pallet racking on 3 loading levels plus ground level, reaching 9.5 meters in height. Systems A and C are equipped with 6 bases each, while systems B and D have 7 bases each, for a total capacity of over 4,600 metal containers.
All systems are equipped with LUX, which automatically switches on the lights only in the open aisle, and Picking, which allows up to 3 aisles to be opened simultaneously when manual picking is required. This enables multiple operators to access different areas of the system at the same time. The bases are opened using a remote control.
The installation was designed to meet the seismic requirements of Italy’s Zone 2 classification.
4 COMPATTA mobile racking systems with LUX and PICKING options

Seasonal colour-coded storage and ICON-WMS-ERP integration: every roll in the right location

Two systems are dedicated to summer fabrics and two to winter fabrics. Within each system, materials are organized by base shade and dye lot, with a clear distinction between core and seasonal colors. High-turnover rolls are stored on the lower levels for immediate access, while less frequently used or bulkier SKUs are stored on the upper levels.
The integration between ICON, WMS and ERP keeps inventory locations updated in real time and optimises both storage and retrieval paths. Stock is always visible and immediately accessible.
Seasonal colour-coded storage and ICON-WMS-ERP integration: every roll in the right location

Key results

More capacity, faster picking, one warehouse fully in control

  • Storage capacity doubled

    same footprint, double the storage volume compared with traditional racking

  • 100,000 fabric rolls under one roof

    from multiple off-site warehouses to a single facility with real-time inventory visibility across all four systems

  • 50 orders per day

    30–40 fabric rolls per order, or approximately 2,000–3,000 metres of fabric per cycle

  • Seasonal colour-based picking

    organising inventory by season, colour and turnover rate speeds up retrieval operations and reduces the risk of selecting similar fabric rolls by mistake.

  • Lower energy consumption with the LUX option

    Only the active aisle is illuminated, eliminating unnecessary lighting in unused areas.

  • Certified for Italy’s Zone 2 seismic classification

    the installation was designed to meet Italy’s Zone 2 seismic requirements and features photoelectric safety barriers on all access fronts and service aisles.

Discover the product chosen by Captex

COMPATTA: the Mobile Racking System

COMPATTA: the Mobile Racking System

Motorized mobile bases on which any type of existing racking can be installed. COMPATTA adapts to the heaviest and bulkiest loads and operates in environments down to -30°C.

Explore COMPATTA

Want to achieve the same results?

Every distribution hub has its own SKU mix, volumes and seasonal peaks.
Tell us about your setup and we will design the right solution for you.

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