Garda Plast and GRUBER Logistics together for efficient logistics

GRUBER Logistics has been supporting efficient logistics for years and has just signed a 4PL logistics agreement with Garda Plast.

The Garda Plast Group (comprising Garda Plast SpA and Ifap S.p.A.), owned by the Private Equity Fund Progressio Investimenti II and managed by Progressio SGR, produces PET preforms and bottles intended for producers of mineral water, soft drinks, milk, edible oil, detergents, and cosmetic products.

With a turnover of over 80 million euros and 3 billion preforms produced annually, the company is one of the leading industry players in Italy.

Furthermore, approximately 4,000 articulated trucks are loaded annually and 2,270 inbound containers arrive each year.

“Optimising flows, greater flexibility, and better customer service: these are our goals, and this is how we will enhance our competitive advantage,” says Massimo Cutolo, CEO of the Garda Plast Group. “Entrusting management to our partner GRUBER Logistics allows us to be more focused on the Group’s core activities. Focused exclusively on what we do best. Among the many logistics operators invited to our table,” continues Cutolo, “we chose to partner with GRUBER Logistics because, with Martin Gruber, their CEO, I shared medium- to long-term values and strategies. On these foundations, we agreed upon and established the technical and operational aspects. This is the way our Group does business.”

Indeed, the 4PL model represents a new way of conceiving the partnership between customer and supplier, where the logistics operator leverages its expertise to optimize the client’s stock levels and internal processes, even centrally managing the client company’s various suppliers.

“Relying on no fewer than 6 Business Units ranging from heavy haulage, air and sea freight, to FTL and groupage shipments, we will handle for Garda Plast raw material receiving, the feeding of production lines, as well as delivery to the end customer, extending to managing raw material suppliers as well,” emphasizes Stefano Ometto, Director of the Italy Logistics Division – “The most demanding part of the project kick-off phase was undoubtedly the implementation of a dedicated WMS (Warehouse Management System) developed in-house by GRUBER Logistics both for the main warehouse and the two peripheral facilities. The use of a custom-developed WMS aims to optimize internal processes, as well as naturally minimizing the transfer of materials to peripheral warehouses. To ensure continuity in operations and capitalize on the experience already gained – continues Ometto – we also chose to retain the staff previously employed by Garda Plast. This decision was driven by the desire to enhance performance and service quality, also through the application of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies and the onboarding of a skilled professional like engineer Mauro Gamba, who will drive the optimization of operations.”

This represents an important commercial synergy that will further strengthen the competitive advantage of both companies.

On the one hand, GRUBER Logistics will have the opportunity to position itself on the market as one of the few logistics providers in Italy capable of operating under the 4PL model (currently still little known and applied).

On the other, Garda Plast, following significant internal reorganization processes, will be able to accelerate its growth process, benefiting from the advantage of entrusting the management of its supply chain to a single logistics operator.

“The partnership between GRUBER Logistics and Garda Plast represents a highly prestigious project that aligns perfectly with our strategic corporate goal: supporting companies in managing their supply chain, placing our technical expertise, negotiation capabilities, and flexibility in meeting customer needs entirely at their disposal,” emphasizes Martin Gruber, CEO of GRUBER Logistics.