Elettric80 and Papelera San Andrés de Giles team up in search for sustainability and innovation

Located in San Andrés de Giles, about 100 km from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Papelera San Andrés de Giles (PSAG) is one of the leading Argentine companies in the production, conversion, and distribution of high-quality tissue paper products for domestic use. Since its foundation, in 1980, the company aimed to be a leader in its sector and to contribute in a sustainable way to the country’s economic growth, and for this reason, it started to invest in its industrial development.

Caring for the environment has always been a concern for the company and, thanks to responsible management, PSAG has been awarded the “Certificado de Aptitud Ambiental” by the Organización Provincial of the Departamento de Sostenibilidad in Buenos Aires.

Resource efficiency optimization, exclusive use of raw materials from reforested areas, reduction of CO2 emissions, rationalized water, and energy consumption: these are the pillars of the company’s Sustainable Development Policy and its guidelines in the quest for product excellence.

Máximo Gagliardi, CEO of Papelera San Andrés de Giles, confirms the company’s approach: “We have based our growth primarily on the quality of our paper and service to the market. Our distinctive products have even won us an award for technological development in Brussels,” he says.

In 2016, the papermaker won the Pulp and Paper International Award in the Tissue Innovation category, a prestigious award that recognizes international excellence in the tissue paper sector and honors leadership, vision and the achievement of strategic goals. The company reached a similar result at national level in 2018, by receiving the annual Pequeña y Mediana Empresa (PYME) award for innovation in industrial processes, released by Jornal La Nacion and Banco HSBC.

Betting on continuous research for technological change, improvement and shared values, PSAG asked Elettric80 to “transform” its factory.

Elettric80 combines hardware and software know-how designed to offer intralogistics solutions that increase supply chain efficiency and significantly reduce both energy consumption and the carbon footprint.

This partnership has always revolved around the concept of Technovation. “I once imagined the company of the future. Today, we are creating that company here in Argentina, using the best technologies in the world”, says Máximo. This CEO’s vision was transformed by Elettric80 into reality.

The group has always been an expert at developing integrated supply chains, using advanced systems to deliver key improvements to sustainability and plant safety. PSAG’s main requests were warehouse centralization, just-in-time order management and reliable customer service – and Elettric80 has been able to satisfy them all by creating a tailor-made Smart Factory.

Development of the San Andrés site began in 2010 with the automation of palletizing and stretch wrapping along with the addition of a dedicated storage solution comprised of a Drive-In rack warehouse. The 10,000-pallet capacity system was designed to safely store 2.6-meter-high pallets up to 5 levels high (15 meters), 13 pallet positions deep, and to be managed automatically by 4 Reach LGVs.

In 2014, production output increased. Additional robotic palletizing and stretch wrapping, along with 2 additional Reach LGVs, were integrated into the system to meet new intralogistics volumes and requirements.

In 2016, PSAG and Elettric80 collaborated in the development of a new parent reel warehouse to be managed automatically by Elephant LGVs. The site was designed and constructed for an overall 565-reel stock capacity in a minimal footprint, the 2.78 tall reels weighing as much as 2.200 kg, today are safely stacked 3 levels high (8.34 meters), retrieved and delivered “door to door”, by a single Elephant LGV.

Then to meet ever increasing market demands for availability, fast deliveries, and high-quality service, in 2017 PSAG and Elettric80 worked together in the design, construction and integration of SmartStore, a fully automated high-density warehouse. The expansion included seven new truck loading docks and two Reach LGVs were added to the fleet bringing the total to eight. Towering over the premises at 23 meters (7 levels high), the new 16,000 pallet positions storage system was inaugurated in August of 2018.

Today, the entire intralogistics solution is managed by the Elettric80 SM.I.LE80 software, which coordinates all internal flows, balances all operations, from from raw material reception to warehousing and shipping, all while ensuring complete product traceability. To ensure the total reliability of the PSAG’s supply chain, Elettric80 also guarantees a 24/7 digital assistance service, which allows the remote support and control of all processes.

Thanks to these innovations, the Argentinian tissue paper producer has doubled its productivity and is now able to handle nine times more loads than in 2007. As for the results of the technological evolution it has embarked on, Gagliardi comments: “We can foresee further growth in our future, and if we are already in this position today, with the most modern factory in the country, it is because we have always had a long-term strategy despite all the economic and political ups and downs. Basically, the automation and integration of the plant created with Elettric80 have provided us a net improvement in quality, safety, and supply chain efficiency.”

Thus, thanks to the most advanced technology in all Latin America, Papelera San Andrés de Giles became recognized as the country’s leading tissue paper manufacturer in the country, now targeting opportunities for the global market.