Информационное Руководство для Cisco Cisco 2106 Wireless LAN Controller

Customer Case Study

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In May 2008, Marazzi Group began deploying Cisco’s Enterprise Wireless Mesh Network throughout each of its nine

warehouses in Italy. “We finished by December and met our goal to complete deployment in one warehouse per

month,” says Provini. Marazzi Group has also recently completed deployment in two of its three warehouses in

Spain. Today, the network consists of 350 Cisco Aironet

1242AG Series Access Points and Cisco 4400 and 2100

Series Wireless LAN Controllers, which are managed by the Cisco Wireless Control System (WCS).

To provide Wi-Fi coverage throughout each warehouse, Marazzi Group deployed root access points at the

boundaries of the facility, where existing walls or gates made it easy to dig and install cable. These root access

points are connected to Ethernet ports and transmit to wireless mesh access points that provide connectivity

throughout the warehouse.

The Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh Network provides the foundation for Marazzi Group’s new automated

processes. Forklift operators now use Datalogic handheld devices to read the barcodes on the products coming from

manufacturing. Communicating with the Warehouse Management System via the wireless network, the device

automatically provides the operator with product information, including the location in the warehouse where the tile

should be stocked. “The wireless system now facilitates every stage of order preparation and delivery,” says Provini.

Warehouse workers can locate products much faster and match the tile barcodes to the packing lists, while workers

dedicated to truck deliveries use the handheld scanners to make sure that the dispatch notes correspond to the

delivery information in the Warehouse Management System.

Using Cisco’s controller-based system, Marazzi Group manages the wireless network centrally from its Italian

headquarters. “Our IT team in Modena remotely monitors and manages the 350 access points and 350 handheld

scanners throughout our Italian and Spanish warehouses,” says Provini. The Cisco Wireless Control System

enables the IT team to easily monitor access point performance and troubleshoot the network from a remote

location.

“With wireless infrastructure that easily integrates WMS, ERP, and
unified communications, we will continue to remain ahead of our
competition worldwide.”

—Andrea Provini, CIO

Results

The Cisco Enterprise Wireless Mesh Network plays a critical role in Marazzi Group’s new warehouse operations,

helping increase the accuracy of its orders and the quality of service that the company provides to its customers.

When changes were made to orders in the past, the customer service department had to call the warehouse,

causing delays and sometimes resulting in the delivery of wrong quantities or products. “Since we are still in the

process of deploying our ERP solution, we have not yet experienced the full impact of wireless automation,” says

Provini. “But with the Cisco mesh network and our WMS in place, we estimate that errors in order fulfillment will

decrease, which will translate into reduced costs for the company and faster delivery to our customers.”

Centralized management of the Cisco network helps ensure high network availability, while saving Marazzi Group

time and money. “The system enables us to determine, in an instant, if the redundancy that we have in place will

give us enough time to resolve any access point issues without causing network downtime,” says Provini.

“Centralized management results in an always-on infrastructure.” As the network continues to be deployed, Marazzi

Group intends to hire one local person capable of fixing network issues in each of the countries where the company

has warehouses. According to Provini, “With Cisco’s centralized management, we don’t have to invest our resources

in training a whole team of people for each of our warehouse locations.”