Industry
Distribution and logistics
Papironia: wholesale stationery distribution with 4 SILO² VLMs, -30% errors and guaranteed deliveries
- Distribution and Logistics
- SILO²
- Finished products
Back-to-school without overtime: 10,000 SKUs and 120 orders per day, delivered within 24 to 48 hours
Papironia, the leading wholesale distributor of branded stationery in Lazio, serves stationery stores, mass retail, cash & carry and B2B eCommerce with a product range that reaches 10,000 SKUs during back-to-school peaks.
To manage this complexity without sacrificing speed or accuracy, the company installed 4 SILO² automated vertical storage systems in a pod of machines.
Product
SILO²
Key results
+20% floor space recovered
–30% picking errors
100% daily order fulfillment
Zero overtime, even during back-to-school peaks
Key feature
• 4 SILO² VLMs installed in a pod of machines
• IRIDE and integrated barcode reader at every picking and refilling station
• ICON, MEXAL and eCommerce integration
Papironia: wholesale distributor of branded stationery in Lazio
Papironia is the largest wholesale distributor of branded stationery products in Lazio and part of the Pool Over Group. It distributes leading brands in the sector, from Pigna to Fabriano, Lebez, Fila, Osama, Verbatim and many others, through an omnichannel network serving stationery stores, mass retail, generalist retailers, cash & carry and a B2B eCommerce channel.
Founded over 20 years ago, Papironia stands out not only for its product range, but also for service quality: fast delivery is a core part of its market positioning.
The growth of the eCommerce channel and increasing logistics complexity, more SKUs, more variants and more multichannel orders, led Papironia to invest in warehouse automation to maintain its promised service level even during peak periods.
Founded over 20 years ago, Papironia stands out not only for its product range, but also for service quality: fast delivery is a core part of its market positioning.
The growth of the eCommerce channel and increasing logistics complexity, more SKUs, more variants and more multichannel orders, led Papironia to invest in warehouse automation to maintain its promised service level even during peak periods.
The logistical challenges
The stationery industry is characterized by intense and predictable seasonal peaks, such as back-to-school and holidays, when volumes multiply in a very short time.
Before automation, Papironia’s main critical issues were:
• 10,000 SKUs in peak season managed on fixed racking: slow manual picking, extensive walking and difficulty distinguishing items with similar formats and variants
• 120 orders per day during peak periods, each with 200 to 250 items: to keep up, operators worked 2 to 3 hours of overtime per day
• High error rate on similar SKUs such as pens, pencils and highlighters, with a direct impact on end-customer satisfaction
• Unsynchronized omnichannel management: B2B eCommerce, mass retail and stationery stores had no real-time aligned stock visibility
• Saturated space on fixed racking, with no room for vertical growth
4 SILO² VLMs in a pod of machines: 180 m³ in 85 m², items allocated by picking frequency
ICAM installed 4 SILO² automated vertical storage systems, over 7 meters high, arranged in side-by-side and facing pairs in a pod of machines.
In just 85 m², the installation provides almost 180 m³ of capacity, with over 20% floor space savings compared with the previous fixed racking.
High-turnover small and medium-sized items, such as pens, pencils, highlighters and accessories, are allocated inside the SILO² VLMs by combined picking frequency, optimizing search and handling times.
Bulky products such as backpacks, paper reams and multipacks of notebooks remain on traditional shelving.
In just 85 m², the installation provides almost 180 m³ of capacity, with over 20% floor space savings compared with the previous fixed racking.
High-turnover small and medium-sized items, such as pens, pencils, highlighters and accessories, are allocated inside the SILO² VLMs by combined picking frequency, optimizing search and handling times.
Bulky products such as backpacks, paper reams and multipacks of notebooks remain on traditional shelving.
Error-free picking and stock always aligned: IRIDE, barcode and MEXAL integration
Each SILO² is configured with two picking and refilling stations equipped with IRIDE and an integrated barcode reader that records every single item picked.
The double quality and quantity check on every pick is essential for similar SKUs such as pens, pencils and highlighters: -30% picking errors.
Integration between ICON, the MEXAL management system and the eCommerce portal ensures continuous real-time stock alignment across all channels, with timely replenishment and updated visibility for every point of sale and B2B customer.
The double quality and quantity check on every pick is essential for similar SKUs such as pens, pencils and highlighters: -30% picking errors.
Integration between ICON, the MEXAL management system and the eCommerce portal ensures continuous real-time stock alignment across all channels, with timely replenishment and updated visibility for every point of sale and B2B customer.
Key results
Back-to-school peaks managed without overtime, without errors, within the promised delivery times
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–30% picking errors
IRIDE guides every pick, the barcode reader confirms it: double control on every item, every order
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120 orders/day at peak without overtime
The same productivity as before, without the extra 2 to 3 hours per day per operator
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Guaranteed 24/48 h deliveries
The commercial promise maintained even during the most intense demand peaks
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10,000 SKUs managed with full traceability, even in peak season
Full seasonal range under control, with allocation optimised by pick frequency
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+20% floor space recovered
Space freed from fixed racking returned to other operational functions
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Real-time stock alignment across all channels
ICON–MEXAL–eCommerce integration: no discrepancy between actual availability and online visibility
Explore the solution chosen by Papironia
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, in high-throughput environments. Fast picking, tracked operations, recovered space. All coordinated by ICON, ICAM’s proprietary software.
Explore SILO²
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