Milan in the wake of innovation

On the occasion of SAVE Milan, over 800 operators came together to receive updates and discus the latest trends of the automation, instrument and sensor segments. All eyes are now set on Verona, the venue of the next event in October

by Noemi Sala

SAVE Milan, the event dedicated to instruments, automation, monitoring and sensors, held on April 10th in Lombardy’s capital city was attended by over 800 industry operators. The conference program was very rich, enabling it to explore professional knowledge, analyse the relative sectors and evaluate the impact of Industry 4.0 on the process and on manufacturing. Main topics were IoT, digitization, vision systems, service platforms, legal updates, incentives and case histories.

Digitization, Industry 4.0. and IoT take centre stage in the congresses
Worth noting was the congress “Industry 4.0, technological evolution and new facilitations” coordinated by Armando Martin (industrial consultant and journalist) and with a speech by IBM’s Andrea Boccotti dedicated to IoT, Industry 4.0, evolution and augmented intelligence, “Digital Reinvented Manufacturing”. Matteo Masi (Cisco) on the other hand illustrated examples of digitization along the road from Industry 4.0 to Enterprise 4.0, while Roberto Sabella (Ericsson) and Massimo Ippolito (Comau) tackled 5G technology, the industrial Internet which will lead to a new manufacturing approach. The topic of Industry 4.0 applied to the interconnection of machines, to optimise the production cycles and maintenance, was then discussed with Alberto Pellero (Kuka). Roberto Motta (Rockwell Automation) elaborated on the importance of the creation of an industrial network connected to digital innovations. Marco Gamba and Roberto Orsenigo (Schneider Electric) presented the IIoT EcoStruxure platform, whose case histories enhanced the potential of connected devices. Alberto Clerici (Omron) introduced the theme of the convergence between IT ad OT, while Daniele Migliavacca (Warrant Group) dealt with the incentive system, providing a picture of the financial instruments and outright grants supporting research and innovation processes foreseen by the 2018 Budget Law.

The role of cyber security and online diagnostics
Great interest was also aroused by the congress “Industrial Automation: virtuous behaviour and best practices” coordinated by Alberto Servida, President, Anipla – National Automation Association. The theme of designing a control system for Enterprise 4.0 was also considered, with a particular focus on cyber security, thanks to Enzo Tieghi (Clusit). Mariano Rega (Air Liquide) focused on automatic control of plants to end up with an “operator” available 24/7. Finally, Micaela Caserza Magro (UniGenova) introduced the topic of online and remote diagnostics of industrial Ethernet lines. SAVE Milan was held at the same time as MCM Milan, an event dedicated to industrial maintenance, and mcT Food / Vision and Traceability, a fair for Food & Beverage and the connected logistics and industrial traceability segments. After SAVE Milan, which will be back in Spring, 2019, the next date is set in Veronafiere on October 17th -19th with the twelfth edition of SAVE.