Itema Group imagines a smart future for weaving in partnership with SECO

A major innovation in the textile machinery industry: using AI for advanced machine management protocols based on digital twins developed through CLEA.

COLZATE/AREZZO, ITALY, June 5, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Itema Group, leading manufacturer of weaving solutions, unveils at ITMA 2023, the world’s main exhibition for textile machinery industry, a preview of its plans to launch an innovative as-a-service solution, developed in partnership with SECO, aimed at introducing a set of value-added services based on artificial intelligence and dedicated to the textile industry.

In a highly competitive and high-tech sector, improving machine efficiency represents an important advantage for all the players across the value chain. In this perspective, the end-to-end solution imagined by Itema is designed to provide users with real-time suggestions on the optimal machine set-up parameters: a substantial innovation compared to the solutions currently available on the market, mainly based on remote monitoring of the devices’ operational status.

Itemalab, the Itema Group company specialized in products and processes innovation, will develop innovative sensing systems and advanced interconnection protocols of the weaving machine. The aim is to extract functional parameters extensively and accurately from the Itema weaving machines, so that it will be possible to compare the real machine with its digital reference model elaborated from industry best practices in terms of machinery setting.

SECO will contribute to this development with its IoT, data orchestration and AI expertise: in fact, through the CLEA platform it will be possible to perform advanced inference activities to identify correlations between several data categories. By adopting adequate cybersecurity protocols, this information will be used to feed virtual models (digital twins) specifically developed to reproduce the optimal setting and behavior of the physical devices: this will enable to return insights on the machines’ functioning and, by means of dedicated artificial intelligence algorithms, provide both user customers and Itema designers with valuable suggestions on improvement actions to be undertaken.

In this way, Itema’s customers will be able to increase the productivity and performance of their machines, enhancing the operators’ user experience and simplifying the management of highly complex equipment from a mechanical, electronic, and operational point of view. At the same time, it will be possible to plan and optimize maintenance interventions by specialized technical personnel, as well as develop solutions meeting the strictest performance expectations from customers.

“We look towards a future that is already here, made of technology and data. Digital technologies are enabling tools that can improve human-machine interaction and optimize productivity and performance. A weaving machine is a complex equipment that combines mechanical, electronic, and textile principles. Having this in mind, the digitalization and design of new software solutions are essential to bring useful innovation for both the weaver and the entrepreneur, through processes streamlining and optimization that would otherwise be complex and time-consuming. Creating synergies with an excellence in the software world such as SECO is the key for Itema to start a sharing of experience, knowledge, and ideas that can lead to valuable contaminations for our customers”, said Ugo Ghilardi, CEO of Itema Group.

“More and more companies are beginning to perceive the potential of digital technologies and artificial intelligence as tools to deploy high value-added functionalities along their value chain: we are glad to support a cutting-edge company like Itema, providing them with solutions to differentiate their offering by introducing AI-powered services into their business model”, said Massimo Mauri, CEO of SECO.
 


Itema
Itema Group is a group active in the production and marketing of advanced weaving solutions, composite material products, and integrated services.
The parent company Itema^® is today among the world leaders in the supply of weaving machines. It is also the only manufacturer in the world to produce weaving machines with the top three shuttleless weft insertion technologies: rapier, air-jet, and projectile.
Itema Group is also active in the industrial sector through Schoch^®, manufacturer of accessories for the textile industry, and Lamiflex^®, supplier of components in composite materials for the textile machinery, industrial, aerospace, and medical sectors.
Itemalab^®, the advanced innovation incubator of Itema^®, offers transversal systems engineering and business process re-engineering services also to third parties.
Itema Group, in 2022, achieved a turnover of € 337.5 million and has 1,100 employees in 7 production plants and 15 offices worldwide. Headquartered in Colzate, in the province of Bergamo, 60% of the shares of Itema today belong to the Gianni Radici heirs family, while the remaining 40% belongs to the Arizzi and Torri families.


SECO
SECO (IOT.MI) develops and manufactures cutting-edge technological solutions, from miniaturized computers to fully customized integrated systems combining hardware and software. SECO also offers CLEA, a proprietary end-to-end IoT-AI analytics software suite, that allows clients to gather insightful data from their on-field devices in real time. SECO employs almost 900 people worldwide and operates through 5 production plants, 10 R&D hubs and sales offices in 8 countries. SECO serves more than 300 blue-chip customers which are leaders in their respective fields, including Medical, Industrial Automation, Aerospace & Defense, Fitness, Vending and many other sectors. SECO R&D capabilities are further enhanced by long-lasting strategic partnerships with tech giants and collaborations with universities, research centers, and innovative start-ups. Corporate social responsibility is part of the strategy of SECO, that undertakes several actions to reduce its environmental footprint and increase its impact on its people and local communities.
For more information: https://www.seco.com/

Marco Parisi, Head of Investor Relations
SECO
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