Industry
Electric
Prima Electro: SILO² for production components and COMPATTA for slow-moving service items
- Electric
- COMPATTA
- SILO²
- Accessosries and components
Production and service: two distinct flows, two complementary ICAM automated storage systems
To manage over 2,000 SKUs, including high-turnover electronic components and slow-moving service materials, physically separate the supplier flow from the production flow, and protect sensitive components from dust, Prima Electro redesigned the warehouse at its Moncalieri facility, near Turin, with two complementary ICAM solutions: a SILO² with opposite picking and refilling stations, directly serving the assembly lines, and a COMPATTA mobile racking system for slow-moving service items.
Products
SILO²
COMPATTA
Key result
Available space optimization:
· 1,500 item codes in 22 m²
· 700 slow-moving items in 90 m²
Key feature
SILO² with picking and refilling stations on opposite sides:
1 facing the warehouse for loading from suppliers
1 facing production
Prima Electro: industrial electronics for the world’s leading machine tool manufacturers
Prima Electro S.p.A. is part of the Prima Industrie Group and designs, manufactures and markets industrial electronics for machine tools, industrial automation, transportation and energy. With over 2,000 SKUs in its catalog, it serves a broad and diversified customer base through three business lines, OSAI, DOTS and CONVERGENT, with locations in Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and China.
Catalog growth and increasing volumes made a deep redesign of the logistics areas at the Moncalieri site necessary: optimizing space, increasing picking speed and accuracy, and clearly separating manufacturing and service flows.
Catalog growth and increasing volumes made a deep redesign of the logistics areas at the Moncalieri site necessary: optimizing space, increasing picking speed and accuracy, and clearly separating manufacturing and service flows.
The logistical challenges
The Moncalieri warehouse covers an area of around 700 m², with usable height ranging from 4 to 7 meters.
Prima Electro had to manage two very different logistics flows, each with its own operational requirements:
• High-turnover electronic components, including boards, modules and parts for the assembly lines, stored on open shelving with manual picking: long picking times, excessive walking, sensitive components exposed to dust and no structured traceability.
• Slow-moving service materials (cables, boards, motors, drives, I/O modules and printed circuit boards) transferred from the Barone Canavese site: they occupied valuable space without an efficient compact storage system.
• No physical separation between the supplier flow and the manufacturing flow: operators and materials were constantly crossing paths.
SILO²: 1,500 item codes in 22 m², opposite-side picking and refilling stations
The SILO² VLM, with 3 storage columns in just 22 m², manages over 1,500 electronic component item codes.
It was strategically configured with two picking and refilling stations on opposite sides: one facing the warehouse for loading goods from suppliers, the other facing directly toward production for picking to the assembly lines. Flows are completely separated: operators picking for manufacturing never have to cross the warehouse, and operators loading goods never interfere with production.
Each tray, 2,053 × 802 mm, manages up to 50 items. Every pick is tracked in ICON with radio-frequency confirmation, ensuring full monitoring of every inbound and outbound movement.
The fully enclosed structure protects sensitive components from dust, a critical requirement in industrial electronics.
It was strategically configured with two picking and refilling stations on opposite sides: one facing the warehouse for loading goods from suppliers, the other facing directly toward production for picking to the assembly lines. Flows are completely separated: operators picking for manufacturing never have to cross the warehouse, and operators loading goods never interfere with production.
Each tray, 2,053 × 802 mm, manages up to 50 items. Every pick is tracked in ICON with radio-frequency confirmation, ensuring full monitoring of every inbound and outbound movement.
The fully enclosed structure protects sensitive components from dust, a critical requirement in industrial electronics.
COMPATTA for service: 700 pallets of slow-moving materials in 90 m²
For slow-moving service materials (cables, electronic boards, motors, drives, I/O modules and printed circuit boards) Prima Electro installed a COMPATTA mobile racking system with mobile bases accessible from both sides and fixed racks accessible from one side, operated electromechanically.
The rails are recessed flush with the floor for maximum safety when handling materials with pallet trucks and electric forklifts.
Around 700 SKUs, typically 800 × 1,200 mm pallets weighing up to 300 kg, are managed in just 90 m², with load bearing capacity up to 18,000 kg per mobile racking unit and safety photocells on all sides.
The rails are recessed flush with the floor for maximum safety when handling materials with pallet trucks and electric forklifts.
Around 700 SKUs, typically 800 × 1,200 mm pallets weighing up to 300 kg, are managed in just 90 m², with load bearing capacity up to 18,000 kg per mobile racking unit and safety photocells on all sides.
Key results
Smoother production, tidier service stock, space multiplied
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-90% floor space for high-turnover components
1,500 electronic item codes managed vertically in just 22 m², replacing open shelving spread across the area
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700 slow-movers in 90 m²
Service materials on compact mobile bases: one access aisle opens only where and when needed, recovering space for manufacturing
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Production and supplier flows separated
Opposite picking and refilling stations: supplier refilling and manufacturers picking never cross paths
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Electronic components protected from dust
The fully enclosed SILO² structure protects sensitive components, a critical requirement in industrial electronics
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Full traceability for every movement
Every pick is tracked by ICON and confirmed by radio frequency: inventory always up to date, zero untracked operations
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Walking eliminated in manufacturing area
Operators pick directly from the workstation in their own department, without ever crossing the warehouse
Two ICAM automated storage systems for two different requirements: production components and service materials are managed in separate flows, with no risk of mix-ups. Operators find what they need without walking through the warehouse, and sensitive components are protected from dust. In Moncalieri, the warehouse has become part of the solution and part of the service delivered.
Explore the products chosen by Prima Electro
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
COMPATTA — 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
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