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A demonstration of the Production Process 4.0 during the UCIF Members’ Meeting Gabriele Lazzari ipcm®
The latest Ordinary General Meeting of the Members of UCIF (the Italian Surface Treatment Equipment Manufacturers’ Association) allowed participants to discuss a few major issues relating to industrial finishing and witness a demonstration of the production process 4.0, from design to the end of the product’s life cycle.
M
ADE, the Industry 4.0-related competence centre created
UCIF association aims at gathering the players of the surface technology
within the Politecnico di Milano’s Bovisa campus, hosted the
sector (producers and users of surface technologies) to talk about how
2021 Ordinary General Assembly of the Members of UCIF
this industry can contribute to production process improvement and
(the Italian Surface Treatment Equipment Manufacturers’ Association)
sustainability.
on Wednesday 17 November. MADE is a digital and sustainable factory
This was followed by the traditional analysis of the final balance sheet
that supports manufacturing companies in their digital transformation
for 2020 and of the budget for 2021 and 2022, presented by treasurer
towards Industry 4.0. It provides a wealth of knowledge, methods, and
Claudio Minelli. The Assembly ended with the observations and
tools on digital technologies ranging from design to engineering, from
proposals of some Members and of the specialized magazines (including
production management to delivery and end-of-life management.
ipcm®) that are Associate Members.
With its large, 2,500 m -wide demo centre, training rooms, and co-
After a convivial lunch organised at the same premises in order to keep
working and meeting spaces, it is a truly unique solution. The special
on discussing and networking, a few qualified experts of MADE CC I4.0
growth path towards digital transformation it has developed is based
presented the mission and services of the large demo centre that was
on three phases: displaying and providing information about Industry
hosting the Assembly. The event also included a demonstration of the
4.0-oriented technologies, explaining them through ad hoc training
manufacturing process 4.0, from design to the end-of-life of a product.
activities, and transferring and implementing technological solutions
The tour involved 6 technology areas with 20 demonstrators: digital
through specific projects.
backbone, artificial intelligence, hybrid cloud, 5G, collaborative robotics,
It was a very good stage for the latest UCIF Annual Meeting, which
smart operator assistance systems, digital twin, virtual commissioning,
focussed on important topics such as process sustainability,
lean production 4.0, quality 4.0, product traceability, additive
digitalisation, and the transition towards a more efficient, respectful, and
manufacturing, big data analytics, IoT smart connected products, smart
ethical industry. The Assembly, which was not an elective one, began
monitoring and control of industrial processes, smart energy monitoring
with a welcome speech delivered by UCIF President, Daryush Arabnia,
and control, smart maintenance, virtual design and new product
who recalled the operational difficulties encountered over the last two
development, and logistics 4.0.
2
years due to the pandemic crisis: the lack of planning, the fluctuation of raw material prices, and the demand for just-in-time processing only are offering partial and short-term future readiness to all companies in the surface technology sector – which on the other hand are showing great resilience, despite everything. Arabnia then presented UCIF’s new image, which has brought with it a more precise definition of the association’s mission and vision as well as of the benefits offered to Members, summarised in a new presentation that will be used to expand the membership base in the coming years. Finally, the President presented the S.M.A.R.T.2 conference, which will be held on 18 May 2022 at Fondazione Cariplo’s offices in Milan. The main theme of this second edition of the UCIF conference will be “Technological Innovation and Sustainability for a New Start”. After the success of the first edition of S.M.A.R.T. (the acronym of Surface, Manufacturing, Advanced, Research, Trends) in 2019, the
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N. 72 - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 - international PAINT&COATING magazine
For further information: www.ucif.net