WM Thermoforming Machines: thermoforming efficiency, interaction, and upcoming open house

Industry 4.0 and thermoforming efficiency

Technology plays an important role for industries, and Industry 4.0, or smart industry, offers many benefits to manufacturers: greater productivity, better management of resources, more efficient decision-making, more flexibility.

“WM Thermoforming Machines has understood the importance of Industry 4.0 since long time, and WM’s production has adapted to the interconnection requirements of the smart factory in Industry 4.0", says Luca Oliverio, Sales Director of WM Thermoforming Machines.

"We could have been satisfied with the current level of definition of international protocols for data interchange (such as OPC UA), leaving to the users of our thermoforming equipment the task of interpreting the enormous amount of data generated during production. But we decided to go one step further, and at the end of 2019 we partnered with a leading company in interconnection procedures and management of the related documentation, in order to simplify processes and improve profitability in production.

We can get millions of data out of a thermoforming machine, but how can we know its efficiency? Efficiency is defined by three factors:

- availability: machine effective run time/total machine operative mode time;

- performance: actual forming speed/normal forming speed;

- quality: actual good product/total product output.

Crossing these data may seem trivial, but many companies in the packaging industry are not able to quantify the production efficiency of a machine. This new partnership that became effective at the beginning of 2020 enables WM to offer its customers the integration of four factors: a) a production system compliant to the requirements of Industry 4.0; b) a high capacity for process data management; c) integration with the company's CRM; d) a global overview of what is the real production efficiency of the machine. This integration of factors provides the exact extent of future earnings to companies that are preparing to invest money in new production systems“.

Luca Oliverio then approached the concept of virtual interaction with customers and the market: "Recently we decided to exploit the advantages offered by fast interaction also for the design of machinery... certainly with an eye to Industry 4.0, but not only. We have "opened the doors" to a confrontation on multiple levels inside our company by sharing a vision of the project in all its nuances, but also to participatory design with customers.

For instance, we are working on a project that, when fully operational, will involve a number of selected customers worldwide in different aeras and sectors: we will start with a "funnel" procedure by asking questions about the most valued features of WM machines, those of competitors and about desired features which don’t exist yet on the market... we will then analyze these feedbacks and wishes, and see what we can concretely do.

We had never tried such a complex and in-depth process with our historical customers in the packaging industry, but today this is possible without having to visit each one of them individually and, above all, with less time thanks to remote communication”.

Upcoming virtual open house: WM’s Synergizing Technologies Summer Edition

Interaction and remote communication play an important role also in the upcoming event of the Swiss company. On July 1, 2021, the company will host SYNERGIZING TECHNOLOGIES Summer Edition, a livestream open house in 3 sessions (8 am - 11 am - 5 pm).

The event will be a chance to hear about future developments and market trends from plastics industry insiders, and to ask questions to thermoforming experts specialized in food packaging application. Guests: Bandera (extrusion lines), Marbach (molds), Kiefer (molds).

Registration to the event is open on the company website https://www.wm-thermoforming.com/sign-up-to-synergizing-technologies/

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