Granarolo has chosen Maticorp to restore obsolete robots to their former glory. The skills acquired during a long experience in the industrial sector, combined with problem-solving abilities, have enabled Maticorp to become a reference point for all customers. Being a partner of a company means being able to design the best solution from an optimization and efficiency perspective. That's what happened when one of Italy's leading companies in the food sector turned to us for a revamping intervention. The company in question is Granarolo, which needed to modernize a palletizing line at its Usmate Velate facility.
Obsolete line and malfunctioning robots.
The intervention involved a complete refurbishment of the entire outdated end-of-line system, particularly a meticulous restoration of its technological core, namely the two robots. The line dedicated to packaging mozzarella for pizza had been experiencing issues due to deterioration for some time, to the extent that operators had to resort to small workarounds to ensure functionality. The two robots also had significant issues: one of them had stopped working some time ago.
This situation had several consequences:
- Continuous machine downtime;
- Loss of efficiency;
- Lack of operator safety;
- Loss of production
The beating heart of the process
The most challenging task, the real great challenge, was to succeed in bringing one of the two robot ABB modello Speedy, agli antichi splendori, ma come è stato possibile se ormai fuori produzione? A tal proposito, non potendo stabilire una collaborazione con la casa madre, si è potuto contare, invece, sulla storica partnership con il colosso Schneider. La lunga amicizia lavorativa che ci lega con questa importante azienda ci ha permesso di poter contare sulla disponibilità e le competenze di professionisti esperti.
In particular, the intervention involved:
- the rebuilding of the electronic part
- Replacement of servo drives with commercial components;
- Thorough maintenance and restoration, replacement of damaged components.
With this operation, 80-90% of the material has been recovered, which otherwise would have ended up in the landfill, resulting in significant disposal costs, not to mention the subsequent environmental impact.
Towards an increasingly sustainable enterprise
Another fundamental aspect of revamping, which must not be overlooked, concerns sustainability. For some time, the Granarolo Group has been committed to sustainability in a responsible manner, choosing to focus on areas that allow for the generation of the greatest positive impacts for society and the agri-food sector, to support the growth of producers while preserving our natural resources, in line with Goal 12, "Responsible Consumption and Production," of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These are the topics on the dairy company's agenda, which perfectly aligns with the concept of revamping. The sustainability goals of the company found an important and strategic partnership in Maticorp. In this regard, Francesco Gusmeroli, Head of Business Development and Quality Projects at the Granarolo plant in Usmate Velate, emphasizes: "We needed to find a partner who could take on not only the internal movement and mechanical modification of an existing plant but also the necessary revamping for machines that, although still in operation, showed signs of age. This operation requires significant technical preparation and design work. In fact, some other companies contacted were not willing to take on the commitment. Maticorp, on the other hand, proposed a very interesting offer, both economically and as a reliable partner for the future."
Function and productivity: all the advantages
The success of a revamping intervention is measured by the results achieved in terms of improved production performance, ease of use, and machine efficiency. In this regard, as of today:
- the line is able to produce more than 30 trays per minute;
- the human-machine interface is more intuitive and user-friendly;
- there is greater reliability;
- reduction of downtime.