Manufacturer of integrated systems and special equipment for automated handling of warehousing of industrial equipment, the company is all set to showcase its latest designs and products at ITMA in Milan
The Salmoiraghi Group has been manufacturing and installing a wide range of integrated systems and special equipment for automated handling and warehousing of industrial products. The company, with its headquarters in Monza, Italy, started off its eventful journey in 1963 with specialisation in textile automation systems, an area where it still continues to hold its own globally despite stiff competition. In an exclusive chat, CEO Sandro Salmoiraghi, looking back at the year 2022, said it had been a positive and promising period despite challenges for the company. “It was a year of recovery compared to the previous two years when the pandemic had created slowdowns and production difficulties,” he said.
“The pandemic in its wake created challenges in the form of protracted delays in the form of sourcing of technical components and raw materials and the impossibility of carrying out operations in China where we had in progress start-ups of great automatic systems. Despite these problems, the year 2022 turned out to be positive and promising,” Salmoiraghi added. Sharing details regarding the product range offered by the company for the global market, he said, “Our offer to the market is always diversified. We are manufacturers of customised systems and therefore we meet specific needs of handling and production required by each customer.”
“The production of Doffer for POY FDY and special fibres remains our core-business. These are integrated with overhead handling systems to carry out the complete cycle from the winder to the truck. The chain is completed with automatic warehouses for pallets and fabric rolls and distribution centres. We also have a wide range of automatic packaging lines as well as transport systems with AGVs,” he further stated. Speaking about the key global markets where the company enjoys a strong presence, Salmoiraghi said, “We have a strong presence in the Asia market where, over the past few decades, the mass production of synthetic yarns has been concentrated.”
“And even though we are present in Europe and the USA where various types of plants are built, we are more linked to niche rather than mass production, as is the case in China,” he added. When asked to highlight some of the recent innovations in terms of technology Salmoiraghi elaborated, “Technological development in our company is carried out in a systematic manner and especially concerns the sensor part, the development of more specialised software processing, data collection and analysis, remote monitoring of the systems and research on the latest artificial intelligence technologies and digital twins for plant simulation tests.”
Participation in ITMA 2023
With 2023 being special because of the ITMA trade fair, Salmoiraghi Group is all geared up to showcase its latest products and technologies. Sharing insights into the company’s participation at the show, Salmoiraghi stated: “We will be present at the Milan trade fair in Hall H 1, Stand B 103. The year 2023 is also the 60th anniversary of the founding of our company and therefore has a special meaning for us. It will be celebrated with an event on Monday, May 8, 2023 at our headquarters in Monza and will lead to an important renewal of the image. We will be changing the livery of our machines from blue-orange to grey-red. The graphics of our brand will be revised and the website renewed.”
“We will be present at ITMA with a wide visual documentation on the latest installation of our systems with the new Twin Doffer for latest generation winders and a new patented robotic system for changing bobbins on texturing or warping creels,” he added. According to Salmoiraghi, if ITMA 2019 had marked the advent of Industry 4.0, 2023 marks the now acquired awareness of customers and suppliers on an increasingly greater integration between mechanics and information technology and on the greater weight that the use of data and interconnections will have in product management. “This is a path that we have followed for years and that has allowed us to offer our customers high-performance systems that can be managed in real-time even remotely,” he said.
Sustainability and Future Prospects
Meanwhile, with sustainability being a key factor any industry nowadays, Salmoiraghi Group has taken strident steps in this direction. Pointing out how the company has been contributing towards sustainable manufacturing, Salmoiraghi said, “In terms of sustainability, the automation of handling has been a precursor of the times. The elimination of human effort, drastic reduction of waste and the increase in quality are factors that more than others contribute to making the production of synthetic yarns today more sustainable than in the past.” Meanwhile, with an increasing number of similar options available in the market, why should customers choose Salmoiraghi Group for their requirements?
Replying to this question, Salmoiraghi listed down the key reasons which give the company its competitive edge. “A customer’s choice of a supplier is based on many evaluations. The first is reputation and the Salmoiraghi Group with its 60 years of history is second to none in that respect. Our automated plants are installed all over the world for which we are providing spare parts and service even after 25 years. A team of engineers with experience and skills acquired over the years is working with us. The family ownership that has given continuity to the business stands as a guarantee of personal commitment and responsibility. We also have a long list of references for our products that have been installed across the world supply to many plants of the same customer.”
“Moreover, we are the only company in the sector that designs, builds in its own workshop, tests with software, follows up with the installation and starts up its machinery and plants in a complete and controlled cycle. I believe we offer enough to give confidence to any customer who wants to find solutions to his needs,” he adds. Sharing his views about what 2023 holds for the global textile industry, Salmoiraghi said, “We started the year with a ‘sold out’ of all our production for the year. Now, prospects are opening up for 2024. Automation will be the future of development that is now inevitable due to issues of energy-saving and sustainability. We will increasingly have to resort to machines to improve people’s lives and skills by reducing fatigue and creating a more humane world.”