Comelit gives a masterclass in “Global Supply Chain Management”

The Rovetta-based company is a leading example of logistics and supplier relations management

Always innovating. Comelit Group SpA demonstrates its constant desire to innovate, not only through its products, in which design and technology are perfectly balanced, but also in the management of company procedures.

Comelit has implemented a substantial outsourcing strategy on a national and international scale, focusing its attention on two Global Supply Chain Management areas in particular: the opening of a Global Distribution Centre and global supplier management.

In 2014 Comelit opened its new global distribution centre at DHL Liscate. Outsourcing warehouse management to a structure specialising in logistics has helped to reduce transportation timescales, thanks to the adoption of more efficient models. The DHL Supply Chain hub manages 160,000 orders every year, collecting finished and semi-finished products from the premises in the upper Seriana Valley and distributing them to customers and wholesalers in Italy and overseas. The benefits were instant and are clear to see in terms of the reduction in transportation timescales and costs; another effect – no less important – is the reduced environmental impact.

The creation of profitable partnerships consolidated over time has also played a fundamental role in successful Global Supply Chain Management. Comelit has wisely nurtured the management of relationships with its supplier companies, whether they provide raw materials or key components, or are involved in the casting of the outer structure or final assembly. The relationship, based on trust and aimed at achieving an end product of the utmost quality, is always kept fresh with regular meetings, during which potential issues are identified and the most suitable solutions proposed. KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are established with the suppliers and monitored on a monthly or weekly basis in order to constantly evaluate performance levels in terms of delivery timescales, production quality and the development of new procedures. Thanks to this approach, the partnerships between Comelit and many of its suppliers have been in place for over a decade.

The ‘Comelit case’ in Global Supply Chain Management has been the subject of a university study, revisited in the book ‘Logistics and Supply Chain Management’ (ed. Pearson), as explained by the author Gianpaolo Baronchelli, Professor of International Business at the University of Bergamo. “The ability to identify activities in the chain which are suitable for outsourcing and the selection of the best suppliers to work with are the real competitive advantages demonstrated by Comelit Group SpA when it comes to Global Supply Chain Management. The company recognised the importance of a collaborative approach to is suppliers, starting with their selection, continuing with the conveying of clear information and always ensuring there is a dialogue between customer and supplier, for the long-term improvement of the partnership.”