ESBO Logistics

Highlights

• Scaling a new IT infrastructure to connect the various company sites
• Securing access to the internet and cloud applications with a high-performance network
• A new Wi-Fi 6 network to take connectivity further in a logistics setting with metal racks up to 11 m high

Key stats

• 65,000 m2 of storage area
• 250,000 stock locations
• 6,000 orders per day

Overview

ESBO Logistics is a multi-client logistics operator with more than 65,000 m2 of storage facilities spread over two logistics centers, and present across numerous sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, industry, and commerce.

ESBO considered a complete overhaul of its network infrastructure. The objectives were to have the right architecture in place to guarantee the smooth operation of the entire company and to be able to provide solutions for the future and help customers face new market challenges in their respective business sectors.

Growing the facilities has also involved creating an automated vertical warehouse, with metal racks (for the subsequent challenge of wireless coverage) over 11 m high and 60,000 product storage bins—almost 250,000 stock locations.

Challenge

In order to meet the new challenges posed by both e-commerce and logistics, ESBO needed to have an up-to-date, robust, flexible, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure. It needed an infrastructure that would provide the foundation to adopt new advanced logistics solutions that would also be simple to manage.

ESBO wanted to pursue the latest technology and innovation as an added value for its customers. This led the company to consider implementing new robotic technologies to automate the warehousing and distribution processes.

“We have an obligation to ensure our systems are secure and don’t fail at any time. We are very aware that our work is vital for our customers’ businesses. We cannot afford for it to stop, which is why we are working with Cisco and Cisco Meraki,” says Joan Gormedino, ESBO’s Director of People, Quality, and Compliance.

We have always looked for technological solutions that ensure stability, and this is why we have always turned to Cisco.

Joan Gormedino

Director of People, Quality, and Compliance, ESBO Logistics

Working with stable and flexible solutions
“If there’s one thing ESBO Logistics excels at, it is flexibility,” says Joan Gormedino. “And to be flexible, you have to make significant investments in technology. On the one hand, at ESBO we have developed our own management system, which already has a track record of more than 30 years of innovation, and in which we have invested our knowledge of the market, allowing us to be flexible in a fast and effective way. On the other hand, having stable systems is also necessary. This is why we have always looked for technological solutions that ensure stability, and for this, we have always turned to Meraki and its partner, Datacom.Global, with whom we have worked for over ten years.”

Solution

In 2017, ESBO decided to undergo a technological revolution and change the entire network infrastructure by implementing a Cisco Meraki full-stack network solution. This solution provides the connectivity needed to support the demands of an ever-growing market in an environment such as logistics services that is driven by e-commerce and changing consumer habits.

This renovation required a redundant infrastructure linking the company’s headquarters to the two warehouses via SD-WAN. With this, ESBO guaranteed seamless connectivity with zero downtime, offering the maximum quality of service for all applications as well as global management through a single centralized control panel managed from the cloud.

The Meraki infrastructure has allowed us to implement state-of-the-art robotic technology to automate the warehousing and distribution processes without any capacity nor service problems.

Joan Gormedino

Director of People, Quality, and Compliance, ESBO Logistics

An exceptional communication experience with Wi-Fi 6
Taking into account the unique characteristics of ESBO’s facilities, and based on the advice of Datacom.Global and Cisco Meraki, a coverage study was conducted to analyze the various challenges. Examples of these challenges include the conditions of cold rooms used to store certain materials and the heights of the metal racks. Any problem or situation was resolved using the new Wi-Fi 6 wireless technology, which provides an exceptional communication experience as well as higher speeds, and the possibility of creating intelligent spaces with the integration of IoT sensors.

SASE, the future of security
Security is also a key element in the new Cisco Meraki solution. Cisco Umbrella is the first line of defense against internet threats regardless of where users are located. Cisco Umbrella is a solution at the core of Cisco’s SASE architecture that, combined with SD-WAN, enables ESBO to comply with security policies on devices that connect to the enterprise network, as well as those that connect remotely.

Cisco Umbrella is natively integrated into the Meraki control panel, making it possible to view network behavior from a single management dashboard. Unifying the visualization of the different technologies from a single point is essential, not only because it simplifies technology management, but also because of the numerous devices in the facilities that are managed (such as scanning guns, cameras, sensors, robots, etc.), as well as the increase in remote working and its associated challenges.

Results

“Meraki’s infrastructure has allowed us to implement state-of-the-art robotic technology to automate the warehousing and distribution processes without any capacity or service problems,” acknowledges Joan Gormedino. “We have a fleet of robots working 24 hours a day, capable of moving in three dimensions, reaching any point on the shelves and accessing all the containers. We can now prepare orders accurately and on time, which means optimizing resources, both in terms of preparation and space. With these robots, we can handle more than 6,000 orders per day. The robots have also helped us reduce space by 50%, and we have achieved energy savings of 70% as an alternative to other technologies.”

An extensive and complementary ecosystem
“We have an obligation to ensure our systems are secure and don’t fail at any time. We are very aware that our work is vital for our customers’ businesses. We cannot afford for it to stop, which is why we are working with Meraki and Datacom,” says Joan Gormedino.

The broad Meraki ecosystem allows ESBO to move forward clearly on its road map, responding to new needs that may arise or to the expansion of current operations. Along these lines, ESBO has started testing other components, such as Meraki cameras (to improve process automation and physical security) and Meraki environmental IoT sensors (to alert in the event of temperature changes that endanger sensitive products, detect water leaks in case of floods, and analyze air quality). And everything is always managed from the cloud, reducing operational costs by using the same network and operating from the same dashboard.

Quality and service
“Our experience with Cisco Meraki and Datacom has always been excellent. It is fantastic. Not only have they always offered us great product quality, but great service as well,” acknowledges Joan Gormedino. “As a company, we like our customers to value good service, and we look for that same level of service excellence from our suppliers.”