Company renovation in the time of Covid Pandemics: the example of CD Elettrica of Villa Cortese

Covid does not always stop the desire to renovate the interior of a company. One proof is the company CD Elettrica of Villa Cortese – in the province of Milan – which through its single administrator Mauro Colombo has bet everything on the Industry 4.0. He wanted to make his company more efficient, more flexible about work, more eco-friendly. He put on the plate 350 thousand euros, not a small amount of money for his organization, in order to bring his company in the Industry 4.0. His company was the first one of its kind in Italy to install the Wire Terminal WT36, a system which enabled them to mechanize the realisation of the components of the control panels and, at the same time, he revolutionised the design process which is now completely in 3D.

The production capacity also increased, along with the technical and professional expertise of his own personnel, the organisation guaranteed an even higher quality of the final product, becoming one of the most technologically advanced companies in the production of control panels for the industrial mechanization, command and control. The environment got benefits too because the waste on production scraps was reduced almost to zero.

The system has the advantage of working with a virtual prototype of the control panel, which enables control and great flexibility in the work. Added to this is also the possibility to access instantaneously through a QR Code to the datasheet of every single component of the control panel. Many things change in the work: the Wire Terminal with 36 cylinder heads is a piece of machinery which allows to develop and produce automatically the wiring conductors of the control panel cut to size, numbered and identified through an identification printing system on the conductor in proximity of the extremities and crimped automatically.

Then, the operator uses a smart wiring system with tablets to physically connect the conductors to the components, and is guided through to final testing. Everything starts with 3D engineering and design, with dedicated software (Eplan Pro Panel) that interfaces directly with the Rittal WT36 Wire Terminal.

“The ability to evolve and innovate is a necessary condition for remaining competitive not only in the short term, but also by extending the observation time horizon, as the current economic system is experiencing constant and systematic transformation,” comments Mauro Colombo, 52, sole director of CD Elettrica srl Elettrotecnica Industriale, which he founded in 1988 (www.cdelettrica.it). “Today it’s essential to be flexible, agile and fast in minimising waste and fixed assets and in pursuing high quality standards, not only downstream of the production process but at every stage of the process. It is essential to manage the entire production process from a supply chain perspective, that is, to control performance and improve efficiency in order to optimise the level of service rendered to the end customer, rationalising operating costs and committed capital and pursuing a perspective of loyalty,” Mauro Colombo continues.

 

Translated by Bianchi Riccardo, Perinelli Giorgia and Viviani Micol

Reviewed by Prof. Robert Clarke