We are witnessing the beginning of a landscape shift in Warehousing infrastructure: Armes Maini
Q. Is Armes-Maini a trendsetter in providing Storage Solutions? If so, what are the trendsetting solutions you have provided recently?
By design, our products have always been a trendsetter. Before drawing out any solution, we get an in-depth understanding of the ground-level purpose i.e. for what and how our products will be used on a daily basis. This information is the key for us to identify opportunities/areas to innovate upon.
We, recently, designed a solution for one of our major customers. It was a design that was never attempted before and we are very proud of our team for successfully executing it on such a large scale. It’s creative, efficient, functional and the first in India.
Q. What’s your source of inspiration for innovation?
Our clients are our biggest source. After all, their products, process and people are the ones that use our systems day-in and day-out.
Q. How do you make optimum use of space at customer end?
Understanding the client location is critical. Once we begin engagement, our teams understand everything there is about the client – their location, products, processes and operations. Our systems are designed in such a way that there is no space wastage. Space will be optimized to store products and to operate MHEs. We strive and use every inch of the available area.
Q. How do you make use of technology to provide contemporary storage solutions?
We are witnessing the beginning of a landscape shift in Warehousing infrastructure. Businesses are planning for 10-20 yrs ahead and as is the case with most things today, technology implementation in material storage is also beginning to grow at a very rapid pace. The levels of customization are endless. We have systems that can reduce floor space utilization by up to 90%; systems that require extremely minimal human intervention; tons and tons of materials can be moved by just a press of a button. This was unheard of just a decade ago in India.
Q. Would you say you offer end-to-end solutions for modern warehousing?
Yes, we do.
Q. What does your product basket look like?
We can categorize our product basket into three types: Static, Semi-Automated and Fully Automated solutions.
Q. Could you throw some light on your manufacturing facilities and wherewithal?
We have 3 main manufacturing hubs – Bangalore in India, Vicenza in Italy and in Bosnia. We have all the required equipment that makes us capable of undertaking ambitious projects.
Q. How do you contribute to enhance operational efficiency, speed and accuracy in handling and storage of materials?
That’s the whole objective of the game, isn’t it? If we cannot contribute to that, then our whole purpose is lost. As mentioned earlier, understanding what your client does from start to end is what finally helps us in adding value to their overall efficiency.
Q. What’s your R & D busy with at the moment? Any new products in the anvil?
In this industry specifically, R&D is always busy because no two customers are alike.
Yes, we are excited about our new Radio Shuttle for Pallets – FLEXY. It is a smart shuttle that has sensors to give the operator all kinds of information. It’s a Semi-Automated solution which can be a gateway to full-fledged automation.
Q. What’s the difference Armes-Maini has made to the manufacturing sector?
We believe we are in a growing stage. We measure our success one customer at a time. Yes, we have made some significant difference to our clients and that’s what we want to look at right now.
