The world is changing ... automation likewise

Mar 15, 2012

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ENCOUNTERS Safety and flexibility for the machines of today and tomorrow. At the Consumer Packaged Goods symposium, organized by Rockwell Automation, manufacturers and users exchanged opinions on business and sustainability.
Stefano Lavorini

Rockwell Automation has made itself heard. And it is important that, at the end of the year, it took the stage in the city that is famous for its ingenuity and ability in making packaging machines, namely Bologna. In a certain sense, it did not matter how good and how original the talks were that animated the two-day symposium dedicated to the CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), what was important was the participation, with a vested interest, of the major companies both on the side of the manufacturers as well as that of users, there to discuss and appraise how to best run their businesses, and how to respond to the changing requirements of the market.

The challenge of complexity. We could say that, for the guests, it was "an intellectual adventure" that has resulted in reflections and contamination of the real and imaginary, in order to understand the many challenges that can only be coped with by innovating and changing perspective. Among the topics addressed, increased competitive pressures, the demands from emerging markets, the variation and diversification of consumer preferences, sustainability, increased attention to issues of food safety and compliance with local and international environmental regulations. Some of the 17 speeches were, in my opinion, highly interesting, which I refer to below in order of appearance.

In a nutshell
• The talk given by Jacob van Kogelenberg (Robert Bosch Packaging Technology) explained what it means today to design machines for a global market, based on a "fit to use" approach, and he outlined trends and practical solutions.
• The Cynar project, presented by Paul Murray, is impressive in its proposal to convert plastic waste into fuel at competitive prices: not just a nice idea but a technology and a system by now already tooled and tuned up that should among other things, over the next 5 years, lead to the installation of another 10 plants in Italy.
• Stimulating in its complexity the Colossus project, developed by the multinational Kimberly-Clark, which, according to Sean Lynch, thanks to the collaboration with the TMC group, has also led to a number of benefits, including lower total cost of products delivered to its customers.
• Special mention for the beautiful video made by Heineken to illustrate the company’s overall strategy in terms of improving the environmental impact of its business as well as its policies of social responsibility.
• A closing note for Philip Ferrari, Parmalat, who spoke of the application of telemetry (technology used on F1 racing cars) to industry and the impressive results in terms of lower costs per product unit and the productivity recovery that can be achieved, to the point of being able to not only monitor the performance of the line or the single machine, but also of the simple component.
• Rockwell for its part, as a solution-, products and service provider to the consumer goods manufacturing industry, reiterated the potential of automation systems in terms of sustainability and energy saving. And, without being obtrusive, also presented some solutions specifically designed for automating the entire production activity, but also able to meet the challenges of exporting to new markets while satisfying international machine design standards.

A suave host. Besides the proceedings, which took place at the Savoy Hotel in Bologna, punctuated by panel discussions and convivial breaks useful to increase the opportunities for sharing experiences and problems, at the end of the first day the efficient organization of EMEA/Italy Rockwell created an event which went down wonderfully with all present. To celebrate the occasion, in fact, everybody off to the historic Ferrari Museum in Maranello, with a private tour of the exhibition space to whet ones appetite for beauty and the extraordinary. All this topped by dinner "together" with the red F1 racers of recent years, that, mute and impassive (noblesse oblige) looked on as the compliments and astounded comments of many would-be "customers" rained down upon them.

I relatori/The speakers
Thomas Czioska - Robert Bosch
Laurent Bachelier - MeadWestvaco
Bryan Griffen - Nestlé (OMAC)
Mikael Samuelsson - TetraPak
Jos Wubben - Mars Western Europe
Arjen Bos - Friesland Campina
Daniele Vacchi - UCIMA
Monica Melloni - GEA Procomac
Filippo Ferrari - Parmalat
Sean Lynch - Kimberly-Clark
Lorenzo Trimigno - Tissue Machinery Company
Alex Tarchini - Mathworks
Joost Roldaan - Heineken
Werner Badtke - Kraft Foods
Thomas Schmid - Kraft Foods