The introduction of digital technology into manufacturing is certainly capable of increasing productivity, but technical training remains critical to doing so.
In his interview with Il Sole 24 Ore, 3 June 2017, Pietro Cassani explains the importance of technical training. Machine operators are increasingly required to have specialised technical skills in controlling industrial robots.
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“Digital technologies will drive efficiency”
Consumption reduced by 30%, efficiency increased by more than 25%: this is the promise of new Italian ceramic technologies (kilns, presses and decorating equipment) compared with conventional equipment. And investing in sensor systems, software, IoT and artificial vision promises to yield a further 15% growth in both efficiency and margins.
“Industry 4.0, understood as the digitalisation of automated processes, is a development of revolutionary scope,” says Pietro Cassani, a manager with long experience in the ceramic and packaging industries, who recently launched Ideas 4.0-Industrial Design & Automation Solutions at Imola, as a partner for manufacturing companies. This is because “it’s no longer a matter of having individual machines or a Crm 4.0 – which have been around for years – but of interconnecting processes in the factory. This is a process which ceramic machinery manufacturers are just starting to implement, and the first challenge to face is the gap in human know-how.”
Cassani points out that at their Imola offices, Ideas 4.0 has “a team of around twenty persons including programmers, engineers and software analysts – and they already have their hands full. Government incentives can certainly drive investment,” he says, ” but there is a genuine risk of having robots in factories without anyone knowing how to exploit their full potential; it’s essential to invest in technical training and education for young people.”
This human resources emergency is becoming ever more critical in Emilia’s mechanical engineering industries. “Industry 4.0 is not just about technology,” says Walter Sancassiani, coordinator of the new Club Imprenditori per l’Innovazione del Distretto Ceramico (Business Association for Innovation in the Ceramic District), “it’s a new culture of business and local resources based on the circularity of the economy and widespread innovation. This is why we are investing in a project to create dialogue and training throughout the entire supply chain.” The new network, half think tank and half workshop, is actively supported by nine of the major players in the Sassuolo ceramic district: ceramic manufacturers Casalgrande Padana, Panaria and Marazzi, glaze manufacturers Smalticeram, Colorobbia and Ferro Coatings, as well as machinery manufacturers Siti B&T, Sacmi and LB. “Our workshops have highlighted the importance of training and experience with pilot installations as a way of developing know-how in high technology. At our 5 June meeting, we will be discussing ten key issues as the basis for our collaborative planning,” Sancassiani concludes.
Source: Il Sole 24 Ore, 3 June 2017