Industry 4.0: Manni Sipre modernises its production facilities

Four new machines are being set up, but there is more to come: by 2022, Manni Group will have invested more than €5 million to ensure that its production facilities are in line with Industry 4.0 principles.

New life is being breathed into Manni Sipre’s production facilities: last year, the company purchased four new steel processing machines, and a 4.0 bridge crane is on its way.

The investment amounts to €3.5 million and is part of the National Industry 4.0 Plan, the incentive programme for the automation and digitisation of Italian manufacturing companies. It involves integrating data into the factory management system and allows predictive analysis for maintenance operations.

This expenditure is part of a broader strategy to invest in innovation, which could total more than €5 million in the 2020-2022 period.

In 2020, while carrying out a series of research and development activities, Manni Sipre began conducting an analysis to understand whether the demands of the steel market match the company’s strategic business goals. The pursuit of best practices when it comes to steel processing machinery was the reason for choosing two new series of systems to supplement those already operating at Manni Sipre’s plants: two machines for processing flat products and two for long products.

Two new steel processing lines

A plasma cutting line and a laser cutting line have recently been installed for flat products.

For long products, instead, two machines in the automatic cutting and drilling line have been purchased as well as a small piece of equipment, a drill bit head, to be combined with a system that already cuts and drills angle brackets.

In addition to these steel processing machines, a new bridge crane has been ordered at a cost of €300,000, and the integration of numerical control for data collection enables it to comply with Industry 4.0 guidelines.

The new Manni Sipre equipment, which is being set up, will be tested by June 2021 and will be operational from July.

Increased safety and new customer services

This major operation fits into the company’s plan to modernise the existing machine fleet, which needs to undergo regular maintenance. The integration of existing instrumentation with state-of-the-art systems will ensure improved performance in terms of safety, energy efficiency and innovation.

For instance, the plasma cutting line for flat products has been fitted with a soundproof cabin, which significantly improves workplace environmental conditions for workers, going above and beyond what the regulations require. These cutting-edge technologies also have a reduced impact on the environment as they are more energy efficient and ensure high productivity levels.

Aesthetics play a key role too: in fact, the contemporary design of the installed machinery significantly stands out from that of conventional lines used in the industry.

Manni Sipre’s new machine fleet uses reliable technology, which allows it to offer a much wider range of services that previously had to be outsourced. As a result of these ongoing developments, Manni Sipre’s customers can always benefit from comprehensive service packages with advanced technologies.

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