Automated Miniload System Optimizes High-Density Order Picking
Get Impressed deployed an automated storage and retrieval system from Mecalux at its Ciriè facility to manage seasonal peaks and accelerate distribution.
www.mecalux.com
Application areas and industry sectors:
Warehouse automation, intralogistics, automated storage and retrieval systems, wholesale distribution, promotional products logistics.
Get Impressed, an Italian importer and distributor of promotional products founded in 1976, operates from its headquarters in Ciriè, near Turin. Supplying wholesalers and resellers across Europe while maintaining an in-house printing facility, the company manages over 25,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) and receives weekly inbound container shipments. In this high-mix operational environment, the company processes between 300 and 350 orders per day, with each order averaging three to four lines. Because the promotional goods sector experiences pronounced seasonal demand fluctuations, Get Impressed required an intralogistics upgrade to accelerate order picking, maximize floor space utilization, and maintain inventory accuracy without increasing staffing levels or overtime hours.
High-Density Automated Storage Architecture
To overcome spatial and labor constraints, Get Impressed implemented an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) for boxes alongside selective pallet racking engineered by Mecalux. The core of the installation is a miniload system featuring a 6-metre-tall stacker crane operating along a 38-metre-long aisle. The crane uses telescopic forks to access cartons stored in double-deep racking. This double-deep architecture increases storage density compared to single-deep configurations by eliminating aisles while still permitting direct automated extraction. As a result, the facility stores 2,736 cartons—each with a maximum load capacity of 50 kg—within a footprint of just over 130 square metres. To ensure structural integrity and operational safety in an earthquake-prone region, the racking structure was engineered in compliance with Italian seismic regulations NTC 2018 and the European standard UNI EN 16681.
Software Integration and Goods-to-Person Workflow
The mechanical hardware operates under the control of the Mecalux warehouse management system (WMS), which interfaces bidirectionally with the client's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. This system architecture enables a dynamic slotting strategy based on product turnover: fast-moving merchandise is allocated to the miniload AS/RS, whereas slower-moving stock is housed in conventional selective pallet racking. At the front of the miniload aisle, a U-shaped pick station connected to an automated box conveyor facilitates goods-to-person order fulfilment. Instead of operators walking through warehouse aisles to locate items, the stacker crane retrieves the required cartons and delivers them to the workstation within seconds.
"Our ERP system automatically sends work orders to the WMS. The operator receives the carton, picks the required items and moves on to the next order. The software also lets us leverage the contents of a single box to process multiple orders simultaneously," explains Marco Brescia, CEO of Get Impressed.
Quantifiable Operational Outcomes
By replacing manual travel with automated box delivery and batch-picking logic, the system shortened order cycle times and stabilized throughput at up to 350 orders per day. The bidirectional data exchange provides real-time inventory visibility across all 25,000 SKUs, reducing picking errors and ensuring traceability from inbound receipt to dispatch. Furthermore, the ergonomic workstation layout and automated retrieval rate allow the existing warehouse staff to absorb seasonal volume spikes without supplementary personnel.
Edited by Sucithra Mani, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.
www.mecalux.com
