How can electronics manufacturers automate component storage, reduce operator travel during picking and manage materials that require controlled temperature and humidity?
NPE New Procond Elettronica uses 4 Ferretto Vertimag Vertical Lift Modules to store and pick electronic components for production. Three units are dedicated to component storage and picking; the fourth Vertimag is thermally insulated and equipped with temperature and humidity control for materials requiring specific storage conditions.
The project at NPE’s Longarone plant addresses a challenge shared by many electronics and manufacturing companies: managing a high number of parts and references while keeping components available to production without increasing walking distances, floor space and manual handling.
When the warehouse is organised, but operators still have to walk
Before automation, electronic components were stored on conventional shelving. Shelves were divided into cells, locations were recognised by SAP and materials were managed according to FIFO – First In, First Out. Locations were digitally managed, but during picking operators still had to physically travel to the different storage positions.
“During picking, the operator moved between the different positions, covering quite a lot of space.”
Luciano Bucciarelli — Supply Chain & Production Director, NPE
NPE wanted to concentrate storage and picking, reduce operator travel, increase storage capacity relative to footprint and make inventory activities faster and more controlled.
From operator-to-material to material-to-operator
With Vertimag, the operating principle changes: requested components are brought to the picking station, reducing the need for operators to travel between storage locations. Ferretto installed 4 Vertimag units side by side, configured to work within the same storage and picking process.
Why did NPE choose Vertimag with Ergo-Tech®?
“After analysing the pros and cons of the different products, we chose Ferretto because of its innovative Ergo-Tech® bay, which prepares the second tray underneath the first tray already in the bay, saving time.”
Luciano Bucciarelli — Supply Chain & Production Director, NPE
During a picking sequence, while the operator works on the tray in the bay, Ergo-Tech® prepares the next tray. The configuration is designed to reduce waiting between operations and support continuous picking across many electronic component references.
What if some electronic components require controlled temperature and humidity?
In the NPE project, some components required specific storage conditions. One of the four Vertimag units was therefore configured with thermal insulation and temperature and humidity control. The same project combines automated component storage for production with a dedicated configuration for materials requiring controlled environmental conditions.
Installing 4 Vertimag units in an operating plant
The four Vertimag units were installed inside an NPE facility that was already in operation, making installation planning an important part of the project.
“The Ferretto team supported us from the very beginning.”
Luciano Bucciarelli — Supply Chain & Production Director, NPE
“Ferretto managed the installation according to the agreed timing and in an orderly way, without interfering with normal warehouse operations.”Luciano Bucciarelli — Supply Chain & Production Director, NPE
What changed according to NPE?
“Thanks to Ferretto vertical warehouses, we optimised picking and loading times, reduced the time required for inventory with fewer people involved, and reduced picking errors. All this means reducing warehouse costs.”
Luciano Bucciarelli — Supply Chain & Production Director, NPE
The value of the project therefore goes beyond floor-space utilisation: it affects the process connecting storage, picking, inventory and production.
Does your operation face a similar challenge?
- High numbers of components and references for production
- Frequent picking from shelving or multiple locations
- Significant operator travel to retrieve materials
- SAP or another ERP already supporting warehouse processes
- Need to reduce footprint, inventory time or manual handling
- Components requiring specific temperature and humidity conditions
The NPE application can be relevant to electronics and electromechanical manufacturers, EMS providers, PCB/PCBA operations, industrial electronics companies and other manufacturers managing a high variety of components and SKUs.
Watch NPE tell the story
In the video, Luciano Bucciarelli, Supply Chain & Production Director at NPE, explains the previous process, why NPE selected Vertimag and Ergo-Tech®, the installation experience and the results achieved.
Want to explore the NPE configuration in detail?
The NPE case study covers the 4-Vertimag configuration, capacity and footprint, Ergo-Tech®, EJLOG Plus WMS integrated with SAP, LED-assisted picking, barcode verification and the temperature- and humidity-controlled Vertimag.
