Brescia, 19th November 2019 – A framework agreement has been signed between the Camozzi Group and the University of Brescia for the realisation of a 1st Level Master Degree called "Sustainable and Smart Automation". The agreement has been signed by Prof. Maurizio Tira, Chancellor of the University, and Lodovico Camozzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Camozzi Group.

The University of Brescia, with its postgraduate programs, and the Camozzi Group, with its Academy programs, will launch a Master Degree that aims at providing both the knowledge and the skills of the Smart and Sustainable Industry, with a special focus on innovative materials. It will also be addressed to the use of fast prototyping and efficiency systems, innovative control systems, new machine monitoring systems and smart automation components.

The Master will take place inside the didactic structures of the University and will benefit from the technical and practical skills of the Camozzi Academy. This postgraduate programme will strengthen an already productive partnership, that throughout the years has allowed many university graduates to enter the Camozzi Group, becoming some of the most active collaborators.

The Master is part of the program of the SMAE Higher Education School of the University of Brescia. It will be introduced into the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department. It will be coordinated by Director Prof. Rodolfo Faglia and supported by two other members of the Board of Directors: Prof. Claudio Carnevale (University of Brescia) and Dr. Mauro Chiodo (Camozzi Automation S.p.A.).

The Camozzi Group is a global leader in the production of systems and components for industrial automation and it continues to create innovation in a process of development towards smart manufacturing, energy efficiency and the use of innovative materials. Continuous research and technological development are the basis of the Corporate strategy, together with the contribution of MARC, the Mechatronic Application Research Center, fully dedicated to technological research, and Camozzi Digital. Their combination allows to combine industrial and digital skills, thus offering products and services of a high added value.

The Master Degree

The Master Degree is structured according to the national legislation and to the regulations of the University of Brescia. It is recognised as a 1st level Master degree with international validity (60 educational credits).

It will start next March and it will last 12 months, for a total amount of 1.500 hours. The 450 hours of internship will take place in the research centers and in the companies of the Camozzi Group. The Master Degree is intended for 20 graduate students, both with a bachelor or a master degree.

The subjects are: Components for industrial automation (developed by Camozzi Academy professionals), Additive manufacturing, Systems and model based design, Polymeric and elastomeric materials (plastic rubbers), Advanced materials, Artificial intelligence, Predictive maintenance and efficiency analysis and Efficiency Improvement / Plant management.

At the end of the year, some students will be offered a collaboration at one of the Camozzi Group research centers / technical offices.

Throughout the years the Camozzi Group has developed its own Academy with the aim to support  the evolution and the growth of the Group around the world.  The development of innovative training programs ensure that Camozzi’s employees are always at the leading edge of the technological progress in all fields. Through the Academy, the Group is able to share the effects of the fourth industrial revolution in global manufacturing with its stakeholders, as well as the main technologies that are being developed (from artificial intelligence to interconnection and digitisation of productive processes).   

Through the Academy, the Group is able to share the effects of the fourth industrial revolution in global manufacturing with its stakeholders, as well as the main technologies that are being developed (from artificial intelligence to interconnection and digitisation of productive processes).

Maurizio Tira, Chancellor of the University of Brescia, said: "The 1^st level Master Degree in "Sustainable and smart automation” is focused on a branch of technological innovation within the fields of training and research of our University, such as the Department of Computer Engineering and the Departments of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, evidenced by the many projects financed by the degree programs and the third mission initiatives regarding Industry 4.0 and intelligent manufacturing. The aim of the master is the training of competent professionals in line with the technological and organisational changes of production systems, but also the development of innovative and sustainable business strategy models, which strengthen the link with the territory".

Lodovico Camozzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Camozzi Group, said: "We are very proud of this important partnership and training agreement with the University of Brescia: every year it prepares new students for the changes of the worldwide industrial revolution.. Thanks to this agreement students will have the opportunity to work in our Research Center in Milan, Via Rubattino, which represents the heart of our Group's R&D and Training department. They will also have the chance to test special automatic machines, maximizing the use of collaborative robotics within our production lines, as well as  of the additive manufacturing process. I am sure that this partnership will allow new talents to be trained and innovative projects to be delivered".

The 3D MasterPrint printer - included in the Guinness Book of World Records - is able to create objects up to 100 feet long, 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall.

Built at the Ingersoll plant in Rockford (USA), it was designed mainly to make tools for the aerospace industry.

The University of Maine has recently purchased MasterPrint to make molds for the boat-building industry, which is really large in the state of Maine.

The university has already used the device to produce a 25-foot, 5.000-pound boat in less than 72 hours. The boat was launched Thursday 10th October in an ocean simulator and has the distinction of being the world’s largest solid 3D-printed item and largest 3D-printed boat.

Moreover, the university researchers are partnering with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create a plastic that uses wood fibers in it, which is more environmentally friendly than material with carbon fiber or fiberglass in it.

Started from September 12, 2019, Fausto Villa – collaborator of  Camozzi Group – has been appointed President of the new FEDERTEC Association.

FEDERTEC is the national association resulting from the merger of ASSIOT and Assofluid. It represents the Italian industry operating in Mechatronics Technologies for Fluid Power, Industrial Components, Power Transmission, Control and Smart Automation of Industrial Products and Processes. The total amount of the industrial sector reaches more than 12 Billion Euros.

Camozzi Group is proud of the trust FEDERTEC associates have granted to Fausto Villa and wish him to be a successful support for the Association in achieving relevant goals.

The project - financed by the Lombardy Region within the Research and Innovation Agreements framework - relies on various technological application keys in various operational contexts:

• Smart components that self-diagnose their health
• Smart machines that generate data to analyse their status, predict future behaviours and regulate themselves
• Smart devices that facilitate human-machine interaction
• Smart factories equipped with monitoring and tracking system (connected factory)

Partners

The project leader is Cosberg, the partners involved are: Camozzi Automation (Smart component group); Politecnico di Milano (Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering and Department of Management Engineering); University of Brescia and Bergamo; CNR-STIIMA (Institute of Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing) and other leading companies for innovation.

Smart4CPPS shares the mission with the partners to:

• create a regional ecosystem of excellence that is a concrete expression of the Smart Factory concept
• transform Lombardy into a hub for digitisation processes for Small and Medium Enterprises.

The sectors involved are the manufacture of metal products - which covers 17% of regional manufacturing - the manufacture of plants and equipment - about 4% of regional VA - and the textile industry.

Smart4CPPs was launched in March 2017 and will end in September 2020.

The single Camozzi Automation distribution centre for Italy and Europe operates from Palazzolo Sull'Oglio (Brescia) in Via Sant'Alberto 10. Production coming from the two production plants of Lumezzane and Polpenazze also flow into the new logistics hub. Near the main freight forwarders, the A4 motorway and the Orio al Serio airport, the Hub provides a direct, widespread, rapid, punctual and efficient supply service. There are also numerous advantages for the network of our distributors who can guarantee their customers quick deliveries.

Lodovico Camozzi, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Camozzi Group, commented during the inauguration:

"This strategic investment, worth around €9 million, aims to make the logistics sector a competitive advantage, thanks to more efficient use of space and rationalisation of the internal layout, with positive repercussions in terms of employment. It will also allow us to provide our customers with a direct, widespread, rapid, punctual and efficient supply service ".

Intelligent automatic systems

The system operates in a single shift, as it is managed by the previous warehouses with the use of triple shifts, to respond flexibly to today's market logic, which is increasingly based on streamlined production in small lots and on parcel shipments.

The distinctive feature is the innovative Cuby system by SSI Schaefer, the first installation in Italy, powered by Artificial Intelligence Models. This technology involves the use of as many shuttles as there are shelf levels, offering a handling capacity 3-4 times higher than the traditional single SRM machine.

The heart of the system is the WMS warehouse management software - integrated with the SAP company ERP - which guides the operators in promptly processing orders, and minimising the risk of error.