What does it really mean to design and construct a turnkey warehouse?
Let's explore this with Paolo Casoni, founder of Autodop.
Autodop built Italy's first industry 4.0 warehouse.
The client was Mr. Carlo Colla. What were the client's needs?
The warehouse was initially designed using a traditional apporach. At that time, however, I had alreay filed patents related to Kronos and other projects. In the meantime, through discussions with the client and thanks to Industry 4.0 regulations, we realized that out machines - and specifically our software - would be the most suitable technologies for this project.
In fact, Mr. Colla's warehouse in Fidenza (north of Italy) had two main problems that needed to be resolved. The first problem concerned the fact that he was managing a wide variety of different cheeses. This warehouse is used to age not only Parmesan, but also other hard cheeses and imported cheeses. Before we stepped in, they had to take inventory really often because, as the number of wheels to manage and customer deman increased, so did the risk of picking the wrong wheels. In short, there could be discrepancies between the actual order and what was delivered. The second issue was managing employee workloads: there was a need to improve workforce efficiency, due to the size of the warehouse and a way of workin that required new methods.
What solutions were implemented and how long did it take?
We worked alongside all the warehouse and quality control staff for about six months, then we designed and built machinery — Kronos specifically — and a fully digitized warehouse management system capable of tracking every aspect of a cheese wheel’s life cycle.
So, what does it mean when we say that this is a 4.0 warehouse?
It means we designed a computer system to manage workflows, as well as a system that includes the automatic palletizing and depalletizing of the wheels. Kronos had the potential to lighten the workload for operators and reduce the risk associated with having people in the aisles, while the software’s continuous interaction was designed to eliminate the possibility of errors in wheel allocation, as well as across all intermediate processes. It means reducing workload. It means precision, but it also means blending tradition and innovation: at the end of the day, we are still talking about managing a food product of great importance to our economy in the most compliant way possible — and doing so in a completely innovative way.
What does “turnkey” actually mean?
It means that, after an initial adjustment period and once resistance to change has been overcome, it becomes clear that a fully integrated system combining machines and human labor allows for much more efficient work, with less physical effort and above all with a high level of safety for workers and a high degree of precision in the handling of every single wheel.
This was one of Autodop’s first projects. Looking back now, how do you think you managed to pull it off?
Those first few months of listening to the client’s needs helped me understand the direction we needed to take. It was an incredibly challenging period, but a truly formative one, as it led me to realize how Autodop could stand out and what would lead to real change in the field of automation in this sector. The most important thing of all is that we began to put into practice the philosophy that still makes us proud of our projects today: dialogue and a design process carried out, step by step, alongside the people who took on the challenge of change with us and placed great trust in us.
In a market that is racing towards automation, the real challenge isn’t just introducing new machinery, but reimagining efficiency. This project demonstrates how Autodop’s expertise can transform a warehouse that is reliant on manual processes into a fluid, interconnected, high-performance ecosystem.
The challenge: the burden of tradition
Before we stepped in, the warehouse operated in an environment where manual labor and technological obsolescence acted as an invisible yet constant barrier to growth. Processes were fragmented: the use of single-head machinery forced workers to work twice as hard to cover both sides of the aisles, resulting in an unsustainable drain on energy and resources. Added to the high level of physical strain on workers was an “information gap”: the lack of digital traceability prevented real-time visibility into inventory levels and processing history, turning warehouse management into a daily gamble rather than an exact science.
The Autodop method: redesigning efficiency, implementing innovation
Our response was not merely a supply of equipment, but a structural upgrade that began with a successful pilot phase: in fact, after the company had used our combined Ergon + Kronos machines for a year, they asked us to proceed with the expansion. We turned the warehouse expansion into the perfect opportunity for a complete makeover, carrying out a custom-designed revamp — a solution that has since become a cornerstone of the Autodop philosophy. At the heart of this transformation was the shift to advanced automation with the introduction of Alcione, our three-gripper brushing-turning machine. Thanks to its ability to autonomously handle both sides of the aisle, we replaced four old machines with a single high-precision unit, seamlessly integrated with our automatic loading/unloading and palletizing systems
The most innovative part of the whole operation was the digitization: we implemented a dedicated hardware system (Wi-Fi and Data Matrix technology) and our WMS software. This system centralized control of the entire facility, enabling communication with both the new-generation machines and the existing ones, and automating every task: from loading to compaction, all the way through to tapping.
The new standard: improvement that can be measured by efficiency
Autodop’s integrated approach has a measurable impact on every company asset:
We didn’t just provide the technology; we demonstrated that, with Autodop’s vision, innovation becomes an immediate and lasting competitive advantage.
Together with Diego Giuli, Autodop’s service and electrical systems manager, let’s take a comprehensive look at what it means for Autodop’s technicians to revamp a machine.
What does a revamp mean to Autodop specifically?
Autodop is a company that’s constantly evolving! Our revamp projects are the result of the relationship Autodop builds with its clients and the continuous updates and improvements that we are able to implement by listening to the staff working in the warehouses. Let me give you the example of the Ergon loading and unloading machine of our client Mr. Carlo Colla. In this case, we optimized a machine that, compared to newer models, could be considered less efficient. We managed to make the existing machine faster, modify certain parts to ensure operator safety, as well as the integrity of cheese wheels. We basically took the best features of the most innovative machinery and successfully modified the older Ergon machine to achieve performance levels very close to those of a newer machine.
Can you give us a concrete example of an improvement?
Our newest machines are capable of exercising very precise control on wheel handling. On the other hand, the older ones — though these are still innovative machines, no more than six or seven years old — do so mechanically, using a “back-and-forth” system that can be improved: we can now adjust the machine to facilitate control of intermediate positions.
What benefits does a revamp offer a client?
With a few strategic adjustments, we can ensure that our clients get increased speed and safety, without having to make an investment they hadn’t budgeted for. I cannot stress enough how important dialogue with the client and all warehouse staff is, because it enables our support team to continually explore new solutions while fostering communication with those who believe in our “philosophy” and understand how we work and build our expertise. This is because new client needs — and thus the information we need to expand our range of revamping options — can arise every day. I believe that this type of intervention is likely to become increasingly advanced.
So, revamping can only be done on newer machines, right?
Well, yes, but we’ve also undertaken another, very unique project. Namely that of Latte Busche, where the loading-unloading machine was completely dismantled. We tried to save as many of the old components as possible — such as the frame and some parts of the manual transport lift — then we implemented all possible improvements, and now the client has a machine that delivers excellent performance. It was a more invasive project, but it made us realize that we can work in many different ways and develop truly innovative approaches.