Company

1988

Columbus was founded

Amedeo Bianconi and Felice Schieppati, after years of working for Philips, decided to share their professional experience and entrepreneurial aspirations to create a new project. Elena Colombo joined them and together they established Columbus. This is the beginning of our history.

1989

The collaboration with Philips began

Philips decided to outsource its warehouse’s activities and entrusted us with the management.

We opened a first 1,500 square meters warehouse in Desio (which was enlarged to 3000 sq.m. in 1995). Subsequently, after winning the Philips tender for spare parts logistics (small appliances), we moved into a new office in Monza. Its operating area was larger, enabling us to meet the new storage and handling needs: 6000 sq. m. near the headquarters of the Dutch giant.

We directly collaborated with Philips’ management.

1991

We changed from SAS (limited partnership) to SRL (limited liability company)

Our ever expanding business led us to redefine our statutes, going from a simple SAS (limited partnership) to an SRL (limited liability company). This new definition reflected our organizational and structural development, better meeting the objectives of change in an increasingly competitive market.

We acquired the management of Pirelli’s logistics (merchandising catalog): a major challenge which broadened our skills and the sectors we operated in.

We introduced new management software for the mapping and codification of items (GECO and MATE).

1995-1999

Expansion

After purchasing a 6000 sq. m. warehouse in Sesto San Giovanni, conveniently located near Milan, we remodeled it and made it operational. Opening this location allowed us to expand our storage space and receive merchandise from new customers. The German giant VDO-Mannesmann was among these: it is a leader in tachograph and navigator productions, and we had our first in-house logistics experience with them, directly managing their warehouse.

2000

We created Columbus Promo

In just a few years, the market had changed and the services offered needed to be updated. Columbus Promo was thus created: a division of the Columbus Group that deals with the study, creation, and management of rewards catalogs and communications through objects.

Combining our logistics know-how and great creativity, the newly established division grew and created international projects for large and small customers from different sectors (including Pirelli).

2001

Company Reorganization

Columbus Logistics was reorganized to create a leaner and more efficient internal structure. We created a generational shift that led to tangible results, such as obtaining important certifications and hiring new management professionals to develop strategic sectors and improve process performance.

2004

A focus on innovation

We adopted a radio-frequency system in order to offer more efficient and competitive services.

The benefits were immediately obvious: time savings, a greater guarantee of accuracy, a reduction of errors, and optimized processes.

2005

We created Columbus Pharma

We formed a new company to meet market demands: Columbus Pharma S.r.l., specializing in pharmaceutical logistics. This is a strictly regulated and certified branch of the company that was specifically develop in Desio (2000 square meters).

In the meantime we were also awarded several tenders, including the management of in-house logistics for Watts, a leader in the hydraulic technology market.

2007

Constant evolution

To supporting company growth and rationalize and optimize our operational areas, we acquired a 12,000 sq. m. warehouse in Cormano. It is a modern building with 12 meter high warehouses and an office area. After making the space compliant with regulations, we opened the structure, with 10,000 square meters available in the warehouse.

2008

Columbus Pharma opened in Biassono

Columbus Pharma opened a new location in Biassono after acquiring the logistics of Bausch + Lomb (leader in optical products and services), ICF (veterinary sector), Aligest (dietary sector), and ABC Farmaceutici (pharmaceutical sector). The warehouse has 7500 square meters at controlled temperatures (+5 °C +25 °C), with features that perfectly follow regulations for the handling of human and veterinary medications and products that require special storage and transportation.

2009

New headquarters in Cormano

We opened a 7500 square meters warehouse in Cinisello Balsamo to manage Ricola products’ logistics, the Swiss multinational food/confectionery company.

We left the historic offices in Monza and moved into the new, convenient, efficient headquarters in Cormano. This officially became our headquarters with administrative and executive offices for Columbus Logistics and Columbus Promo, in addition to modern warehouses. This proximity often becomes a virtuous synergy to the customers’ advantage.

2012

New opening in Arese

We opened a new location in Arese to complete the logistics services for the Italian air conditioner company Valliant. Thus, we became their only Italian logistics representative.

Two professionals with vertical skills also joined the company this year: a computer engineer for ensuring the necessary continuity and growth of our IT systems, indispensable for optimizing and controlling processes and communicating with customer infrastructures; the second professional hired was a logistics engineer to design and implement leaner and more efficient logistic flows.

2014

We entered into documentary logistic worlds

We entered into documentary logistic world. Through the partnership with BN Document Logistics, we offer to our customers a fisic and ottica filing service for any typology documentary, from that paper to that informatic. The BN Document Logistics buildings guarantee the protection of dates and privacy, thanks to the most innovative systems of fire prevention.

2015

We won the tender for in-house logistics

The year began with a major acquisition: the logistical management of the 20,000 sq. m. warehouse of the Gias Candy Group in Brugherio. The agreement included handling the shipment of over 200,000 replacement parts per year, destined for markets across Europe: a challenge that we win, every day.

2016

Started the partnership with Liuc - Cattaneo University

We start the partnership with Liuc - Cattaneo University in Castellanza with the goal of spreading logistic culture into the area. We organize, every year, a specific event in which we talk about the central themes for the logistic world at international level. In collaboration with Liuc Business School, we launch the “Liuc & Columbus Logistics Workshops” workshop, for logistic and supply chain managers. The goal is to concretely face some key subjects looking for possible areas of improvement, through case histories narrated by the direct protagonists and discussed with the LIUC Business School experts.

2017

Columbus Pharma arrives to Cormano

We expand, with Columbus Pharma, our services bouquet and we build a pharmacology production workshop into Cormano second division storage. Into the pharmacology production workshop we can do some second packaging operations of human and veterinary medications and medical devices. Into the building there is upskill staff and it’s clearly separated from storage, in fact it has separate entrances both for the staff and for the products. Moreover, the space is highly sterilized, thanks to pressure monitoring system and air filtering.

2018

Tripharma Logistics was born in Dubai

We passed national borders and we signed an important joint venture agreement with MWM, italian leader corporate of customs services and with RHS Logistics, one of the most important Dubai logistic reality. So, Tripharma Logistics was born with 5000 square meters warehouse and 7000 pallet place in Dubai DWC, which has the goal to become one excellence from storage and medication distribution, from Dubai to Mena area.