CMP Phar.ma opens a new factory

Officially opened on 14 October, the new site in Costabissara (Vicenza) is where CMP Phar.ma (Marchesini Group) will produce inspection systems for the pharmaceutical world, aiming to extend its already well-established product range.

«We are investing in Veneto and opening the doors to AI production»

this is the crux of the declaration made by Maurizio Marchesini who, together with Luigino Pilastro (AD of CMP Phar.ma) performed the role of host during the opening ceremony of the Costabissara factory. Pietro Cassani (Marchesini Group CEO), Vice President of Confindustria for Internationalisation, Barbara Beltrame, as well as Giovanni Maria Forte, Mayor of Costabissara, and the parish priest of the town, Don Roberto Xausa, were present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, underlining the significance of the project, which will guarantee the Vincenza territory the presence of a high-level industrial and technological centre.

Numbers and technology. Seven million euros invested in the 5 thousand square metres of factory space, of which half is assigned to production; the number of workers will double, from the current 42 to 80, in the next four years: these are the numbers of this new initiative of CMP Phar.ma, the company specialized in the development of inspection systems for the pharmaceutical world and which started producing at the new site immediately after the official opening.

It should be noted that in 1982, a little more than 10 years after its foundation, CMP Phar.ma was among the first companies to introduce onto the market an automatic machine for the inspection of vials with laser lighting. Over time, this technology has been consolidated, refining a portfolio that today includes a wide range of inspection machines for controlling not only vials but also bottles, pre-filled syringes and freeze-dried products.

Its recent entry into the galaxy of companies controlled by Marchesini Group - the Bologna-based multinational which is among the top producers in the world of packaging machines for the pharmaceutical ad cosmetics sector - means that CMP Phar.ma can contribute, with its own inspection machines, to developing entire production lines, including those used by Big Pharma for packaging anti-Covid vaccines and anticancer drugs, biological drugs that all require very high-quality control.

AI as standard in growth strategies.

«The new factory will become the heart of production, while the warehouse and the company’s Research and Development department will remain in the current site, a short distance away» explained Luigino Pilastro. «We will work in both spaces to conceive and develop new inspection machine models to complete the range, which will enable us to enter into important markets such as the North American and Chinese markets. At the same time, we will continue to develop our programme on Artificial Intelligence».

This reference is to the futuristic project developed by an internal team that collaborates with Eyecan, the innovative spin-off linked to the University of Bologna and in which Marchesini Group has an equity investment. The objective of this ambitious project – which will begin to produce the first demo already in 2024 – is the introduction of Artificial Intelligence as standard in all the inspection machines. It is precisely to this issue that Maurizio Marchesini made reference, outlining a shared strategy:

«In CMP Phar.ma and in Marchesini Group we use AI algorithms both for the predictive maintenance of our machines and to improve the vision and inspection systems used during the packaging cycles, besides in order to make the robotics necessary for moving products on our lines more intelligent ».

The results - already appreciable according to Marchesini -promise to

«improve the quality of production and free human beings from repetitive tasks so that they can, in fact, carry out more “human” tasks. This is why when I ask myself - also in my role as vice president of Confindustria - if technological progress will create employment, my answer is balanced: we will certainly lose jobs, but other professional figures will emerge. The variance will be, rather, between those who have neural networks and those who are unable to use them».