Lombardia Carni digitalizes meat processing with autosen technology.
The meat processing company Lombardia Carni demonstrates how an artisanal tradition and digitalization can come together in its production plant. The company based in Almé has become a specialist for slicing, portioning and vacuum packaging premium fresh meat. The processing products range from Italian Chianina beef to certified Japanese Kobe beef that are supplied to trade customers and cash & carry markets throughout the country.
In the course of two generations, a small butcher’s shop just outside Milan has been transformed into a largely automated business using state-of-the-art machinery. The latest production line was put into operation this year, and the three older ones will be digitalized successively by mid 2020. Innovation projects of this kind are planned in-house and largely implemented using equipment that is on hand, so the components that are needed are obtained directly from the manufacturers.
“When we speak of digitalization, that also includes the supply chain for our machinery”, explains Production Plant Manager Marco Solari. “This enables us to reduce the time it takes to execute projects significantly, as well as possible downtimes for replacing defective components – without having to maintain our own stock of replacement parts”.
Sophisticated sensor technology for water management
The basis for any digital manufacturing process are real-time data on plant states and production sequences. Lombardia Carni obtains the sensors it needs to register pressures, temperatures and flow from the autosen.com online platform.
These can be ordered round the clock via the internet and they are usually dispatched on the same day they are ordered. “Ideal, especially when a requirement arises at short notice”, says Solari. The autosen sensors are used in the water inlet and recovery pipes for the machines. With the aid of the sensors, it is possible to provide exactly the required amount of water to each machine at the right temperature.
Cold water for cooling and hot water for cleaning in a closed circuit: 95% of the water can be reused, which dramatically reduces the overall consumption. “A good example of how high-tech and sustainability can work hand-in-hand”, explains the production manager. “And this represents an important aspect of our responsibility as a company in such a sensitive sector as foodstuffs production for human consumption”.
Partner for digitalization
Solari found out about autosen while searching the internet for a suitable supplier of high-quality sensors. autosen has already been operating successfully in Germany since 2011, and since the end of 2018 also in Italy through the autosen.com portal.
Its comprehensive portfolio includes sensor technology, connection technology, sensor accessories and tools for especially efficient and economical digitalization. For instance, the recently introduced autosen io-key – a complete solution consisting of a gateway, integrated SIM card and cloud environment – is capable of transferring data from 6000 IO-Link sensors from over 200 manufacturers to the cloud in less than a minute.
“Our objective is not only that our customers can order sensors quickly, easily and at any time of the day or night for next-day delivery”, explains Emanuele Gurrieri, autosen’s Country Manager Italy. “We also see ourselves as a partner when it comes to Production 4.0 and the world of cloud applications”.  Further information available at www.autosen.com
