Industry
Aerospace
FIMAC: SILO² for aerospace components, 90% floor space recovered and regulatory traceability
- Military & aviation
- SILO²
- Accessosries and components
- Pallet
In aerospace, traceability and quality are entry requirements to the market.
In 2019, to recover production space, protect high-strategic-value components and semi-finished materials from dust, and ensure the regulatory traceability required by the aerospace industry, the Senago facility near Milan adopted ICAM’s SILO² multi-column Vertical Lift Module.
Material flow is streamlined in a lean logic, with SILO² VLM installed directly next to the production line.
Product
SILO²
Key result
–90% floor space (220 m² recovered)
Key feature
• 2 opposite picking and refilling stations for 2 operators working in parallel
• Integrated dust blower at the station
FIMAC: a century of aerospace engineering
Founded in 1921 in Senago, near Milan, FIMAC designs, develops and manufactures aerospace equipment, environmental control systems (ECS) for aircraft and helicopters, actuators, shock absorbers, valves, air brakes and landing gear controls for military and civil customers worldwide. Its century-long aeronautical history spans from Italo Balbo’s aircraft to the Tornado, business jets and today’s passenger transport.
All production is made to order and managed in-house, from engineering through to shipment.
In an industry where every component must meet uncompromising quality standards, and where batch and material traceability is a regulatory requirement, not just an operational need, warehouse management becomes an integral part of final product quality.
All production is made to order and managed in-house, from engineering through to shipment.
In an industry where every component must meet uncompromising quality standards, and where batch and material traceability is a regulatory requirement, not just an operational need, warehouse management becomes an integral part of final product quality.
The logistical challenges
In 2019, with new projects starting, FIMAC began redesigning its storage areas to recover space, improve storage conditions and streamline material workflow.
Traditional racking had a footprint of around 240 m², leaving the vertical space between storage levels underused and creating clear operational issues:
• Valuable space taken away from core manufacturing activities, with no room to expand production capacity.
• High-value components and semi-finished materials exposed to dust, with a risk of contamination.
• Manual picking from higher racking levels using ladders, combined with long walking distances, incompatible with the pace of aerospace manufacturing.
• No automated traceability of batches and material handling, a critical issue in a regulated industry.
SILO² next to the production line: 5,000 item codes in 21 m², integrated dust blower
The SILO² Vertical Lift Module is almost 5 m high, with 3 storage columns and 148 galvanized steel trays, providing 20.36 m³ of capacity in just 21 m².
With 2 opposite picking and refilling stations, one at each end of the storage system, 2 operators can work in parallel without interfering with each other. Installed directly next to the production line, SILO² supports lean manufacturing logic: materials arrive where they are needed, when they are needed, with no walking distances.
An integrated blower at the station prevents dust from entering during each picking and refilling operation, a critical requirement for aerospace components.
With 2 opposite picking and refilling stations, one at each end of the storage system, 2 operators can work in parallel without interfering with each other. Installed directly next to the production line, SILO² supports lean manufacturing logic: materials arrive where they are needed, when they are needed, with no walking distances.
An integrated blower at the station prevents dust from entering during each picking and refilling operation, a critical requirement for aerospace components.
Project-based allocation, automatic picking lists and regulatory traceability via ICON
The 5,000 item codes are allocated by project: materials for the same production order are stored together, reducing handling times. Picking lists are generated automatically from the production order and sent to SILO² VLM via ICON, integrated with FIMAC’s management system.
The storage system delivers the required trays to the picking and refilling station, up to 66 per hour, ensuring full traceability for every inbound and outbound movement, with batch management compliant with aerospace industry requirements.
The storage system delivers the required trays to the picking and refilling station, up to 66 per hour, ensuring full traceability for every inbound and outbound movement, with batch management compliant with aerospace industry requirements.
Key results
More production space, greater protection, guaranteed regulatory traceability
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–90% occupied floor space
From 240 m² to 21 m²: around 220 m² returned to core manufacturing activities
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Components protected from dust
Fully enclosed structure with integrated dust blower at the station
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Regulatory traceability
Every inbound and outbound movement tracked in real time, with batch management compliant with aerospace requirements
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Lean manufacturing
Materials available next to the line, with flow synchronized with the production order
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2 operators working in parallel
Opposite picking and refilling stations: no interference, maximum productivity
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Unauthorized access eliminated
Fully enclosed structure with controlled access
Discover the product chosen by FIMAC
SILO²: the Vertical Lift Module
With 2 to 7 storage columns, over 120 tray size configurations and specific tray load bearing capacity up to 1,000 kg/m², SILO² is ICAM’s answer for companies managing small and medium-sized items, even those with a very high specific weight.
Explore SILO²
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