Guided tours of SACMI's production and innovation hubs
The main event of the day was a 13-stop tour of the factory to explore key areas of SACMI production and innovation: from the Rigid Packaging Lab (where new low-environmental-impact caps in cellulose fiber are being designed) to the department that assembles and tests the industrial presses used to make everyday ceramic and metal items.
It was also an opportunity to introduce visitors to some of the lesser-known parts of the factory, such as the machine tool department: 5,000 m2 of pure technology where metal parts (e.g. molds for cap presses) are made with micrometric precision.
Needless to say, the tour also covered AI and, more generally, advanced Quality Control systems that simplify workers’ tasks, taking process control into the realm of consistent, worry-free quality.
The Ceramic and Whiteware Labs also played key roles. The former showcased novel uses for ceramic, such as the large decorated slabs that can, with SACMI Continua+ technology, be transformed into valuable kitchen tops, tables, etc. or the latest super-thin, sustainable, easy-to-lay tiles that offer new opportunities in furnishing. The Whiteware Lab, instead, is where - with the aid of articulated robots - a wide range of sanitaryware articles are produced inside automatic, unmanned cells that perform automated finishing and achieve near-complete recovery of the water used in the process.
The factory through a child’s eyes
Many of the day’s activities were designed for families with children or youngsters. In an area set up in the canteen, children were able to dive into the clay-working process and conduct scientific experiments, giving them a fun, hands-on way of exploring the challenges of sustainability, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Older ones had the opportunity to add to the resulting knowledge by completing the tour and seeing the ‘real’ machines in action.
