In an interaction with Packaging MEA technology editor Vikram Fotedar, SIPA S.p.A Filling & Packaging Division service
innovation manager Riccardo Necchi discusses details of a new digital platform that has a sustainable touch to it.
Vikram Fotedar (VF): There are two basic themes. One about sustainability and companies’ initiative towards sustainability and the other is towards digitalisation. Can you explain on both the sustainability and Echo initiatives?
Riccardo Necchi (RN): There is a similarity between these two initiatives. For example, if we connect the machine remotely we can avoid people going to the site, which involves international travel with heavy carbon footprints and lost production time etc. The idea is to have a central team that can manage and interface directly with customers. SIPA’s Echo is a revolutionary new Echo digital ecosystem that is accessible, interactive, hyper-connected.
VF: How does this platform work?
RN: There is a dashboard where the customer will have the information regarding the equipment parameters. There is a corporate vision where the customer can have access to the machine data in each plant. Complete traceability helps in measuring production time, internal uptime/downtime or production time which will help with the preventive maintenance activity. We know exactly what’s happening when there is a request for quotation, preparation and delivery. With this interface you can generate electronic lists, you can change the quantity, you have access to the stocks available in the warehouse, the price list of the customer and with just one click it is possible to generate an order through our system.
VF: Predictive-maintenance?
RN: We are working on stabilising preventive maintenance. We have a maintenance plan. We need to share with the customer, the stock availability of the concerned part and consolidate which is normal business. With the knowledge of stock on-site, we know if the customer is able to execute preventive maintenance and we can start to discuss any emergency parts that can be stocked. After which we are evolving predictive maintenance.
VF: Do you already have a predictive maintenance system in place or is this something for the future?
RN: We are implementing the algorithm of the preventive maintenance that means full monitoring of the machine. We have in place all the architecture for cybersecurity and data collection. We are validating the algorithm in order to optimise all that is necessary to have a real and optimised system because there are costs related to the cloud. It is important to identify what we need to monitor, the deviation from the average values.
VF: In terms of geographically rolling out this program of predictive maintenance and reaching milestones, how soon do you think you will see this really happening?
RN: We have our roadmap and we are using this pilot to evaluate the algorithm. We are aiming in the beginning of next year to go directly in the market with a suite of solutions including monitoring. Because there are various parts of the machine, you can’t monitor everything. What is important is to find the right balance between the data that you retrieve and you store. You can have all the features I have already presented to you including documentation, including the possibility of trouble ticket, use an app to store all the information so that when something happens the customer will receive notification regarding any deviation. This will completely change our way to keep in touch with the customer moving from a reactive to proactive approach in order to finalise and put together solution for the business.
VF: How has the show been for you? How about visitors from the MEA region?
RN: Very interesting! We had several customers who are happy to see this application available. Especially for MEA region area, it is important to receive good support and to have a remote-control plan to share information, to enable them to understand exactly what they have in spare parts in stock at their site. We have a significant install base in that area. It is extremely important because we have important customers in this region and what we have understood is that they want these kinds of services and we are happy to provide the same to them.