Digitization and sustainability: two concepts that the Pietro Beretta Arms Factory has managed to transform into the strengths of a new strategy, based on history that began in 1526 and clearly projected towards the future. A COMBINATION that seems very appropriate given that it led the Gardone Valtrompia company to hypothesize a positive closure of 2020 - "a difficult year", after a 2019 with revenues of 210 million euros -, despite two months of production stoppage due to the health emergency Covid-19.
"With the management team we understood that even a historical, engineering and manufacturing reality like ours had to develop a new spine based on digital and data - the president said. Franco Gussalli Beretta, during a meeting with the press -. Today, more than ever, data has become the real critical success factor for companies: they use them to develop business lines ranging from the optimization of production processes, such as industry 4.0, to the creation of innovative service processes and customer communication.
Data represents the most important asset for today's companies and will be even more so in the future, without forgetting the value of human resources ». Precisely for this reason, the factory has implemented the project "Beretta digital 500", financed with 5 million euros of own investments and another 11 million euros (20% non-repayable), in three years, obtained by the Ministry of Economic Development. The plan provides for a planning that considers all aspects: from the "genesis" of the product to the relationship with the customer ("Through the interoperability of data, digital tools have contributed to the development of the Integrated Supply Chain, improving the level of service expected by the customer "explained the production planner Brunella Nassano), investments in young talents of digital extraction (from November 2015 to today there are over 150 placements that have led graduates to be 50% of the employees) and high-level partnerships in the implementation of digital tools.
Among the protagonists is Marco Magnaghi, Cdo of Wavemaker: «Never before has it been important to accelerate the adoption of digital technology as in this period - he said -. Companies must overcome organizational barriers, develop skills and adopt the right technologies to collect user data and offer them the best contact and purchase experience". THE INFINITE development potential in the use of data is the basis of Industry 4.0, and Beretta - Carlo Ferlito is the general manager; Daniele Bertoni the deputy general manager - has long begun to exploit this information to improve, for example, the design of weapons. With virtual prototyping, created by team of engineers led by Andrea Pasini up to twenty virtual models of the same weapon can be created before a single design leaves the computer. But the valuable information is also used to guide marketing.
“We worked to get customers to join the factory and make products ever closer to their expectations», Explained Alessandro Acerbis, marketing and communication manager. But also to create services that build customer loyalty in the face of low-frequency use (and therefore purchase) proposals. The data collected continuously is used to organize the predictive maintenance of the work centers. "Currently 146 machines are interconnected. The process is visualized with colored maps that allow you to identify at a glance the progress of each area and where it is necessary to intervene ”, explained Calogero Spoto, head of the production process (which at Beretta is worth 1500 pieces a day).
Furthermore, in Gardone, with the team of Emanuele Cecchel, a mathematical model capable of objectify the aesthetics of wooden rifle butts. Last but not least, sustainability. «We have worked on reducing water consumption - explained the environment manager Martina Stolfini -, of chemicals, solvents and even waste. L'80% of energy consumption comes from renewable sources and cogeneration "(Brescia Today).