Growth choices, step by step

Robopac Smart Factory is an ongoing project. From the revision of the production layout of the Robopac Machinery plant in San Marino to the integration of I4.0 technologies designed to improve process efficiency: a model to be replicated from a Group perspective.      

Motivated by the need to increase production and the opportunity to fully grasp the trend of a fast growing market, the “Robopac Smart Factory” project started from the Robopac Machinery plant in San Marino in 2018. First step of the collaboration between Porsche Consulting  and the young, expert engineers of the Robopac team: revision of the production layout of the plant, followed by the selection of digital technologies to be adopted.

«Our goal was to further improve process flexibility and efficiency - says Enrico Aureli, CEO of Robopac  - as well as predicting a 50% increase in the production capacity of the San Marino plant. We want to get to the top of automation and digitalization, while continuing to enhance the people who remain at the centre of our business strategy ... Because if technology helps us maximize productivity and flexibility, ensuring a rapid and thorough analysis capacity, human intelligence is as ever at the basis of the programming and the optimisation of all processes».

To develop the “Smart Factory” project, first level technological partners were chosen, also from a Group perspective, to then adopt the results obtained, over time, in all the plants. After the pilot plant in San Marino, in fact, all the other plants will be involved in a process of further automation and digitalization, each according to its characteristics.

Investing in continuous improvement
The Smart Factory project did not start suddenly, but is the result of constant investments that have allowed Robopac to reach operating standards aligned with the most modern production standards. In this regard, we would like to remind you of the introduction as far back as 2008 – hence in a downturn - of the Lean Production methodologies, successfully implemented to guarantee complete customer satisfaction: reduction of the Time To Market; transparency in viewing the progress of the order, ensuring the certainty of deliver and  increase of the intrinsic quality of the product…

On the other hand, the construction of the new Robopac Machinery plant in San Marino dates back to 2011, another fundamental step in the company path aimed at increasing production capacity, efficiency and quality in support of a competitiveness capable of generating profit and fueling growth plans.

In 2018, supported by the robust increase in turnover and by a market that opened up further development spaces, with capacity exploited almost to the limit and analysing the time horizon of 3-5 years, it was therefore assessed that Lean Production had now become the company’s cultural heritage. And it was time to combine it with the concepts of Industry 4.0, promoting a further organizational step, necessary and decisive for the complete automation and digitalization of the factory.

Towards the Smart Factory
The “Robopac Smart Factory” project was therefore able to start with an overall overhaul of the layout and processes with a view to expanding the production capacity and integrating digital technologies. A preliminary analysis was carried out of the most suitable technologies to be introduced into existing processes, so as to achieve the set objectives. In addition to the new layout of the departments and logistics, three digital projects were therefore selected to be included in the process, identifying the best partnerships. The overall project, carried out once again with the valuable contribution of Porsche Consulting, was subsequently implemented and carried out by the Kaizen Department of Robopac, a structured team with specialist skills in relation to the three areas: Manufacturing, MES Automation and Logistics.

What’s happening in the other Italian factories of the Group? The principles of Lean Production have also already been implemented in the other Italian factories of the Group. In Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna) - Robopac headquarters since 2018 - where the Dimac  automatic machines (Robopac Packers) are produced, the plant is equipped with a motorized line and is already set up on the infrastructure front for further modernization steps and digitalization, which will start from the logistics side. The Robopac Systems plant in Villa Verucchio (Rimini) and the OCME  plant in Parma, thanks to the collaboration of the Group’s technological partners already identified, will also complete their path towards the Smart Factory over the 2021-2024 period.

The new Logistic Hub. In 2019, the renovation of the Robopac Machinery plant in San Marino was started, adding a new area of about 3,000 square meters, practically adjacent to the main site of 15,000 square meters, from which it is only 2 km away. The area was destined for the Logistic Hub, served by a shuttle, which transfers all the production from the main site to it, before shipping worldwide. At the same time, the layouts of the two production plans were changed on the main site and digital technologies were defined: AGV, MES and WMS.
                                                                                       
Introduction of AGVs. Based on the partnership with the Scaglia Indeva company, for the internal logistics of Line 1 - the main line located on the factory floor, capable of producing a machine every 13 minutes, AGVs ( automatic guided vehicles) have been introduced. The surface of the assembly line, previously motorized, has been doubled with the addition of 26 AGVs for a diversified handling of the machines, managed entirely by a central system.

Thanks to this innovation, each machine, depending on the type and characteristics desired, is able to take different paths according to the necessary processes. The system provides the necessary information for each machine to the operator at the destination workstation. Once completed and tested, the machine is then automatically returned to the main flow and from there to the shipping area, completing the circuit.

This is the most interesting and technologically advanced line of the whole Group, as it revolutionizes the logic of traditional assembly lines. In fact, it introduces the very modern concept of variable paths according to the type of machine to be produced, making use of an advanced automation and handling system ... a flagship in the world of packaging machines but not only there.
The AGV supervision system also interfaces with the MES system to better manage the production flow.

The Manufacturing Execution System. In collaboration with Siemens, Robopac has introduced the production management and data collection system MES (Manufacturing Execution System), which ensures quality and efficiency standards integrated into the production process, applied proactively and systematically. The system easily integrates with equipment, controllers, business and product lifecycle applications,  the quality and laboratory management systems, and numerous other applications. The results are complete visibility, programming, control and optimization of production and processes throughout the company. A real prototype of total integration, since, as specified, it is also able to interface with the AGV system.

Warehouse logistics. Replica Sistemi (Zucchetti Group) has also implemented specific software for warehouse logistics management, integrated with the WMS Analytics add-on to perform immediate visual analysis of data and performance. This solution is also fully integrated with the SAP management system and the MES.

A digital and integrated factory
At the end of the project, scheduled for the end of 2020, the Robopac Machinery factory in San Marino will be completely digital and integrated. In Line 1, where the MES system is already operational, 30 digital touch screen panels have been installed for the exchange of operational data between operators, which illustrate in real time what is happening in the system. By the end of the year, the MES will be operational on all 5 assembly lines, as well as in the logistics department.