Yale works together with Nissan Italy in central Italy

Nissan Italy established its headquarters in Capena, on the Via Tiberina in the province of Rome, to respond effectively and promptly to the sales and distribution needs of automotive spare parts for the Italian market. Italy is the Japanese brand's third largest market in Europe where a growing market means a growing demand for spare parts and an increase in expectations in terms of service and storage capacity.

The Nissan Italy distribution HQ in Capena is the main distribution centre of spare parts for the automotive industry at a national level. The warehouse’s spare parts come from either the two European production plants in Spain and the UK, or from Japan via the Amsterdam and Barcelona warehouses. Active since 1988, the spare parts centre covers 10,000 square metres, of which 7,500 are operational, and handles roughly 6,000 lines per day.

The storage level of the centre is complex: Nissan uses warehouses that are 6 metres high where thousands of parts are stored, each with a bar code and radio frequency identification (RFID). In 2014 the spare parts distribution centre handled as many as 1,369,000 order lines in output, totaling almost 92,000 shipments. Every day the warehouse handles roughly 200 orders for shipments to 16 dealers simultaneously, and manages them through around 50 lines. The references managed in total are approximately 35,000. The warehouse is divided by spare part type based on weight, size and volume, and the codes with the highest movement frequency are located near areas at operating height. The spare parts, albeit of different weights and sizes, move in standard wooden crates made in three sizes which are 2.3 metres deep and range from 70 cm to 2.5 metres in height. This solution allows storage of very large components, such as sheet metal, within the same crates.

Warehouse personnel were closely involved in the collection phase in order to find the best solution when handling small and medium size stocked spare parts.

Logic and logistics of the Yale brand
The collaboration between Nissan Italy and Yale dates back to 2002 when the dealer Antonelli Carrelli Elevatori Srl, based in Rome, won the contract for the maintenance of the existing fleet of trucks, made up of 43 machines from different suppliers. The partnership was the prelude to a long commercial collaboration which, in 2005, saw the first delivery of four Yale MO10-43 s. Antonelli’s professional approach bore fruit, especially in the face of the competition’s attempts to get back into the market, and in the following two years Nissan Italy increased its fleet, initially by purchasing another eight MO10-43 models, then two ERP16AAF forklifts, an MS15X stacker and two MP20XD platform pallet trucks.

In 2011 Nissan Italy decided to renovate the entire fleet with a full-service agreement, and so began the search for the best partner capable of responding to this particular need. 

In spite of some stiff competition, Antonelli once again proved to be the right choice: “I suggested to Nissan Italy some innovative formulas to renovate the fleet. The company proved very forward-thinking and decided to adopt them.”

Everyone involved in the competitive bid was asked to take over the entire fleet and replace it with other machinery, including some new machinery, while maintaining 17 recently purchased machines. 

Antonelli was one of just two suppliers shortlisted. The Rome dealer successfully proposed a buy-back value of the trucks tailored specifically to suit Nissan Italy’s needs. Antonelli bought the entire package and then provided 7x MO AND AC and 3x ERP 16VT newly produced trucks to replace the older machines, keeping a total of 43 trucks in use. "This is the Nissan story,” concludes Christian, “a story of August nights spent thinking of a winning strategy.” 

Thanks to the flexibility of the rental and sales proposals, including used products, Yale provides solutions tailored to suit every company, with a primary emphasis on the client’s needs.

Today Antonelli Carrelli Elevatori, Yale's exclusive distributor for the Rome area, provides service and maintenance twice a week at the Nissan Italy headquarters for the rented fleet of trucks, including the high and medium level storing machinery and electric and frontal platform pallet trucks.