CEVA Logistics, one of the world's leading global supply chain management companies, announced the expansion of its long standing collaboration with Messaggerie Libri, Italy's premier independent book distributor.

Beginning in September 2013, CEVA will manage all of Messaggerie Libri's logistics activities from the City of Books in Stradella (Pavia), one of the biggest multi customer hubs dedicated to the publishing market in Europe. CEVA will manage the supply of bookstores, previously handled from Messaggerie Libri's distribution center in Carpiano, complete reverse logistics and the management of Messaggerie Libri's editorial warehouses that were previously managed in different hubs.

Under the contract CEVA will handle a total of 50 million items each year in a dedicated 37,000 sq m area, which is approximately half the size of the City of Books facility.

By centralizing all activities in a single warehouse, CEVA will be able to manage all phases of product handling, maintaining Messaggerie Libri's reputation for flexibility and reliability among its customer base.

Messaggerie Libri's decision to integrate all its logistics activities was driven by its goal of consolidating the quality of service it offers. Joint investments in cutting edge technology, like semi-automatic picking systems using radio frequency, and the two companies' combined experience in the publishing industry have resulted in the design of a high quality operation that meets Messaggerie Libri's exacting standards across the entire supply chain, from warehousing to shipment arrangement for bookstores and returns management.

Messaggerie Libri and CEVA have jointly established KPIs for service levels and responsiveness to ensure that Messageries Libri's customers receive the same high standards of customer service and delivery promptness that they currently experience. Key to the successful start of operations will be a knowledge transfer program, managed by Messaggerie Libri, to ensure that CEVA's systems and handling activities are fully integrated with the operations performed by Messaggerie Libri, such as launching new books, collecting resupply orders, customer care, managing accounts and connecting with the information systems of publishers and the sales network.

Claudio Fanzini, Managing Director of Messaggerie Libri, said: We chose CEVA to manage our complete supply chain because we know we can count on them as a strategic partner who will offer us excellent and impeccable solutions. We took this decision as we approach our 100th anniversary, in order to simplify our processes and supply chain activities. The centralization of our logistics will provide immediate and measurable benefits to publishers and bookstores. We have chosen a centralized logistics approach through a partnership with CEVA, after more than 20 years of collaboration with them, because they are an expert player in the sector, able to provide quality solutions and significant competitive advantages thanks to flexibility, operation flow optimization and innovative processes.

Giuseppe Chiellino, Managing Director of CEVA in Italy, said: We are delighted that Messaggerie Libri has chosen to expand its partnership with CEVA. Through our highly specialized services and ability to manage tens of millions products a year, we are able to provide an excellent service at competitive rates, fully integrated with Messaggerie Libri at every stage of the supply chain. The City of Books has introduced a radical innovation in the distribution framework for the publishing industry and the logistics chain has been shortened thanks to the integration upstream of inbound and finishing activities, resulting in the optimization of flows and a reduction in associated logistics costs.

The City of Books was opened in 2009 and has operated at full capacity since then. It is an innovative sector specific logistics hub that drives value for the publishing industry. This proven, successful model has now been transferred to other markets, with the opening of the City of Pharma for the healthcare industry taking place earlier this year.