Industry 4.0 and IoT, Storci is a step ahead of his competitors

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (or Industry 4.0) is the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology. The internet of things (IoT), improved communication and self-monitoring, that can analyze and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention, is integrated in this process.
Industry 4.0. basically, refers to a trend of industrial automation, integrating new technologies to improve working conditions, create new business models and increase capacity and performance of plants.
Storci, earlier than Italian Government and European Union urged Italian companies to upgrade the technology of their plants and comply with the new requirements, had already grasped all the evolution that the system was facing and the consequent effect on our sector.
The laws issued about this subject required, as a minimum prerequisite, that machines were network connected and production data could be extracted for a greater traceability. The Storci’s machines already met these conditions, we had gone further, indeed. Our competitors, in fact, had conformed only with the basic European rules whereas we had already made a breakthrough, planning a system able to collect the data referred to our customers’ machines – not basic and essential data, but a great deal of information – that, thanks to a series of devices, was memorized in a cloud and remotely analysed.
We have been able, thus, to create a system that can intelligently elaborate the data to reach a real predicting method: on the base of data analysed, in fact, we can foresee some situations that might occur concerning the control of the line or machine. Those events can be related to wear, corrosion, consumption, lack or wrong maintenance, malfunctioning etc. with the possibility to carry out interventions, where needed, and consequently preventing possible downtimes. This information can be evaluated and available to the technical department, to be used for several purposes such as improving the project phase, examining only the data regarded as essential. All the back-up process has developed. We had to manage a great bulk of figures, all different because specific for each customer; notwithstanding, we succeeded in making it compatible with all the systems of each pasta factory. Today, data collected from every machine, whose back-up was already possible, are saved in our cloud, as mentioned before, where they are classified and monitored, all over the world. Thanks to this system, in case of need, our technicians can intervene without being physically on the spot and the company can monitor each situation, like the alarms status and the production phase. We have also created specific working stations, undergoing further evolution, to give remote technical assistance to the customer. With the help of detectors and webcams, Storci staff can pilot the technician of the pasta factory, wherever he is.
We are aware of the important advantage we have, compared to competitors and we will try to exploit it to the full, to meet the need of clientele well conscious that pasta-making needs respect for tradition as well as keeping up with technology.

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