Three key areas
exported to more than 50 countries in Europe, North and South Africa, North America, Latin America, the Middle East, the Far East and Oceania.
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Industry 4.0 One of the terms that has become increasingly popular in the glassmaking industry in recent months has been Industry 4.0, otherwise referred to as the Internet of Things, Plant Wide Automation, The Digital Age, process control or more simply, automation. Mr Tecchio comes from a background of high technology companies that have embraced this. He is keen to ensure Bottero remains at the leading edge of technology in future years. “We have a strategy to try to reach full automation in hollow glass and in IS machines. Everybody, even our competitors, are still very far from full automation in the process Companies are investing, just as we are. “I personally came from a fully-automated process and I strongly believe in full automation, but it is a long path. To do that you need more automation in the machine, and you need more of a closed loop to control the machine and to use the automation to stabilise the process. “This is the change we have to work on and this will be the ideal for the next 10 years in hollow glass machinery. “We are very aware of Industry 4.0. We have invested and changed something inside because we are reviewing all our internal information systems. This will allow us to use the Internet of Things and other technology coming from Industry 4.0, which will be part of our products and integrated offer to the market. “I expect this technology to spread out in the industry in the next five to 10 years. This technology normally grows very slowly in the beginning then at a certain point of time there is an exponential growth and everybody needs to be ready for that point. “The flat glass industry is not far away from full automation, but in the hollow glass industry it is still a long path. And it is not just Bottero, but other companies too. There is still interaction between the operator and the IS machine during its functionality. “The market from the customer point of view is a relatively conservative market, and large and small groups are not pushed strongly enough, so the speed of change is slow.” Mr Tecchio admits that compared to his previous roles, at Italian groups such as Elettronica Santerno, Santex Rimar Group and as founder of M31 the glass industry is less automated.
� Bottero is headquartered in Cuneo, Italy and was established in 1957.
He believes three areas – sensors, automation and the closed loop – hold the key to the glass industry becoming fully automated. It is paramount the industry invests in further know-how to explore how the process performs during the forming of the bottles which, states Mr Tecchio, is the parameter that really affects the glass distribution and stability of the bottles. One other important point is the substantial investment Bottero has made in glass forming simulation. It now has a full, reliable simulation of the process in timing, temperature and in mechanical features. It offers a full, by the millisecond, simulation of the forming process. The company already offered simulation in mould design and weight reduction but can now offer a full range of simulation services in order for its customers to have full control of the process. “For full automation you need to know exactly what is happening. How each element changes the shape and the characteristic of the bottle, how to change the process and how to improve the bottle.” One of the appeals when Mr Tecchio took on the role was the opportunity to invest in technology and to grow the company through solutions. He is a proponent of automation and believes in its advantages, and not just from a cost point of view. A fully automated system leads to a reduction in oil and in lubrication, and so is effective in terms of an environmentally friendly solution. “Automation used to be regarded as an expensive solution, but not today, that view is in the past. It is less expensive and very effective. “Glass is a good material but the way to produce it is less advanced than other materials. We will try to close the gap. How to do that, technologically wise, is easy to understand, but not easy to implement.” During the next five years Bottero will continue to invest in automation and maintain its flexibility in simulation. Geographically, Italy and Western Europe remains its strongest market in the hollow sector accounting for about 40% of its sales, but it is a fairly flat market where it mainly sells substitute machinery. It is in developing regions and nations such as China, South East Asia and Mexico that it sees market potential. The overall message is that there is plenty more to come from Bottero in the forthcoming years. “Each day I receive a mass of information from staff and we are constantly talking about new ideas, new technologies and potential new applications, all related to glass. “When I look to the future, the glass is definitely half full for Bottero,” he concludes. �
Bottero, Cuneo, Italy www.bottero.com
20 Glass International December/January 2017
Company profile Bottero.indd 2
12/12/2016 15:52:19