Sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency.
Image courtesy of Sfoggia Agriculture Division.
Automation is a vitally important tool for North American industry and Italian machine builders that are leveraging the latest automation technology to bring success to the North American market. From physical process automation to digital automation, Italian machine builders are incorporating cutting-edge technology to transform industries.
In an End-User Perceptions survey — conducted by WTWH on behalf of the Italian Trade Agency’s Machines Italia project to gauge North American companies’ views on the impact of Italian machinery — 23% of North American companies noted that Italian machinery was directly responsible for expanding the number of automated processes in their operations. On top of this, over 32% of North American companies stated they selected Italian machinery specifically because it incorporates more automated features. “All of our Italian machines result in lower maintenance downtime as well — which can nearly double our throughput,” explains one North American end user of automated Italian equipment.
To uncover some of the innovative and transformative automation technology being employed by Italian machine builders, this issue of Machines Italia spotlights how several prestigious Italian OEMs are incorporating automation into their designs and their own operations to better serve the North American market.
As Ross Liberty, CEO of Factory Pipe LLC and end user of Italian machinery notes: “Each piece of Italian equipment we use has very specific characteristics I need for my operations. At the end of the day, I am country -agnostic. I look for specific technical benefits over anything else. Italian machine builders delivered an 80mm tube bender with unique capabilities that we purchased — the support was so good, we just ordered another.”
Italian machine manufacturers are leveraging automated features and components to improve their designs and machine performance, delivering meaningful improvements to end users. This article reveals how two pioneers in agricultural process automation are using the latest automated design features to reduce the labor burden on planters and harvesters. This examination also uncovers how automation is used to improve efficiencies and reduce design times in the plastics industry, from the production side with a plastics mold maker, and on the recycling side with a company specializing in recycling center optimization.
Automation is further augmenting the drilling industry, where advanced technologies are enabling extraction companies to do more with less.
Seeding Success
Sfoggia Agriculture Division Srl (sfoggia.com) has automation in the roots of its design considerations. The Italian manufacturer is a member of FederUnacoma (federunacoma.it) the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, with deep roots in the agriculture industry, designs and manufactures a wide range of planters, seeders, cultivators, weeders, and other equipment for the sowing and management of new crops. By listening to their customers, Sfoggia works to continuously improve its portfolio of machinery with the goal of easing the labor burden on farms and improving the efficiency of planting and tending crops. Some of the most recent designs include the addition of automated processes and features to streamline planting.
Sfoggia’s culture of continual improvement is reflected in its CALIBRA EVO line of planters. By applying automated features, Sfoggia has transformed the CALIBRA EVO into a highly versatile planter that can rapidly transition from crop to crop with minimal changeover. Using standardized ISOBUS control — the preferred platform for the agriculture industry — CALIBRA EVO is designed to easily integrate with existing equipment and software used for crop planning and management.
This software suite also allows operators to adjust to ideal seed spacing and volume, with presets able to be stored for different crop settings. Thanks to a fully automated swing and section control, the CALIBRA EVO takes care of the machine calibrations needed to achieve a desired crop spread, removing the burden from farmers to manually adjust and readjust the machinery for each run. This fully automated planting process takes less operator input and decreases adjustment and changeover times, freeing up valuable manpower at planting operations.
Sfoggia is also applying innovative automation to its other equipment supporting planting operations, including its weeding machines. The BIO THASER from Sfoggia — an advanced weeder — features a number of automated processes that simplify machine operation and increase weeding efficiency. Mobile hoes controlled by laser sensors are placed on each working unit. The sensors will scan the passage of the plants and activate the hoes only in the interplant spaces, automatically eliminating weeds while ensuring no crops are damaged in the process.
The BIO THASER can also be equipped with a precision camera used to guide a fully automated navigation system, allowing the BIO THASER to complete a job without additional human input once programmed. Innovation is at the core of Sffogia’s approach to machinery, with the company explaining: “It’s important to foster the development of innovative solutions to meet the agricultural industry’s unique challenges.” With set-it-and-forget-it solutions able to complete tasks without an operator present, Sfoggia is pioneering the application of advanced automation in the agriculture industry.
Reaping Benefits
Bassi Seminatrici Srl (en-us.bassiseminatrici.it) is a member of FederUnacoma (federunacoma.it) the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation and is an agriculture leader specializing in planting and harvesting equipment, is committed to utilizing machine and process automation to advance the industry. From seeders to harvesters, the company strives for modular designs supported by automated components, underpinned by a design philosophy that technology must always be user-friendly, no matter how advanced.
Image courtesy of Bassi Seminatrici.
This ethos, which has helped one small farm reduce harvest time by 40%, permeates the Bassi Seminatrici organization, led by owner and CEO Carlotta Bassi.
“For advanced and innovative solutions, we believe in collaborating with universities and research centers to merge traditional knowledge with the latest scientific findings,” Bassi says. “It’s important to foster the development of innovative solutions to meet the agricultural industry’s unique challenges.”
This design philosophy shines through in the company’s SM 2000 seeder model, which leverages a unique automated system to improve seed distribution, reduce downtime, and streamline employee processes. Through its patented sponge-based seeding system, the SM 2000 enables operators to swap out seeds in less than one minute, eliminating a time-intensive manual process with quick, modular automation.
Bassi Seminatrici’s SP 94 model combines the seeding and rolling process into a single automated function, drastically reducing the number of passes needed through a field. Not only does the machine combine two processes into one, it also automates the planting process with precise depth placement and can adjust to terrain variations on the fly. Operations adopting the automated features of the SP 94 have reported immediate ROI yields as Bassi Seminatrici modular innovations improved crop uniformity, increased yields, and reduced fertilizer waste.
Bassi Seminatrici has demonstrated its commitment to providing customers with top tier automated equipment by partnering with farm equipment producer EuroGreen Techt. EuroGreen’s electric-powered tools are designed to reduce physical strain, automate harvesting, and improve precision, enabling smaller farms and large-scale operations alike to maintain productivity while tackling labor constraints.
For instance, EuroGreen Tech’s lightweight, high-efficiency harvesting machines allowed one small farm to expand their crop yield while reducing harvest time by 40%, demonstrating how automation unlocks growth and efficiency in agriculture.
By leveraging automated designs and improving process efficiency through technology, Bassi Seminatrici is a dedicated partner in enhancing the productivity and efficiency of the agricultural industry.
Masters of Reuse
Italian machine builders are also employing automation beyond the agriculture industry. SOREMA, the recycling systems division of Previero N. Srl (previero.it), is a member of AMAPLAST (amaplast. org) the Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Molds Manufacturers Association, which designs large, turnkey recycling solutions all over the globe — and leans on a number of automated features and processes to deliver for customers.
Image courtesy of Previero.
SOREMA’s innovative recycling technology is now being applied in the field to augment recycling operations. SOREMA delivered the first post-industrial film deinking plant to Coveris- ReCover in 2023 and, in the summer of 2024, upgraded the line with a series of innovations, taking productivity to the highest level. To achieve the greatest operational efficiency, SOREMA deploys automation solutions such as automatic feeding, prewashing, de-labeling, wet grinding, hot washing, rinsing with flotation and drying.
SOREMA also uses a suite of automated quality assurance processes on its recycling lines. Bottle and flake detectors check for material consistency, product defects, and final product color verification can be incorporated in the lines, all under a single SOREMA supervisor system SCADA, enabling efficient local and remote control.
SOREMA leverages a number of digital automation tools to enhance the reliability and efficiency of their recycling machinery. For instance, when completing an install at the height of the pandemic, SOREMA developed a dedicated working program to remotely control and complete all of the necessary integration and installation work. After that, all the installation components, no matter how complex, become accessible from PC and tablet, creating an automated repository of data accessible from anywhere, driving new efficiencies and economies of scale in the recycling industry.
Modeling Excellence
FESP Mold Srl (fespmold.com/en) has a long history of knowing the power of automation in the plastics molding industry. The company is considered a global leader in the production of plastics molds for diverse industries such as food packaging and medical devices, and has been producing innovative solutions for nearly three decades. As a member of AMAPLAST (amaplast. org), the Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Molds Manufacturers Association, FESP prides itself on delivering solutions that are both innovative and reliable.
Image courtesy of FESP Mold.
A defining aspect of FESP’s design and testing process is its use of automation. On the design side, FESP utilizes a suite of software tools to automate the drafting and modeling process, streamlining frontend design and creating a digital model that can be easily shared with customers. By using easily manipulated digital renders, FESP empowers automated process modeling software to predict how the mold will perform and if it will stand up to the rigors of the production process. “After exceeding two million cycles, a maintenance check revealed that the mold remained in excellent working condition, with no signs of wear or issues, allowing it to continue operating efficiently for another two million cycles,” Arianna Lauro, Marketing Manager at FESP says.
This digitally automated process not only delivers more reliable, better performing molds — it also saves customers money in the design process and heads off potential costly failures during production down the road.
FESP utilizes extensive automation in its testing and verification process for mold design. After digital modeling and testing, FESP moves into a prototype verification stage that includes mold validation through the use of automated testing equipment. Bolstered by digital automation in software modeling, this physical testing phase utilizes automated equipment to verify the strength, integrity, reliability, and failure points of molds.
This process allows FESP to thoroughly test molds with minimal human oversight, translating into cost and efficiency savings that can be passed along to customers.
“This level of durability and precision reflects how our advanced automation and design excellence translate into significant long-term cost savings and consistent operational efficiency for our clients,” Lauro says.
Drilling Down
Italian innovators have even found ways to apply machine automation heavy industry, such as industrial scale drilling. IMSA Srl (imsaitaly.com/en) is a member of Confindustria Marmomacchine (assomarmomacchine.com/en) the Italian Marble and Stone Machinery Industries. From its humble days in the late 1980s serving the general manufacturing industry, IMSA has grown into an industry leader specializing in deep hole drilling equipment. IMSA design philosophy shines through in their drilling equipment, which includes a number of automated processes to ease operator use.
One example of IMSA’s commitment to automation is the MF1250/2FL gun drilling and milling machine. The MF1250/2FL gun drilling and milling machine by Italian manufacturer IMSA is suitable for molds up to six tons. Its reliability ensures that it can work without an operator’s constant presence, performing many meters of drilling before the drill cutting edge needs to be sharpened. The headstock accommodates both spindle lines with gun drilling and milling on separate axes, able to switch over fully automatically in seconds.
When a changeover is finally needed, IMSA has incorporated a cutting-edge design to fully automate the process. Termed “4P,” the system allows for automatic changes of bore diameter. Through automation, the system can accommodate up to four different diameters on the same machine, with the ability to seamlessly transition between them without physical human intervention. This automated setup can be made even more versatile by combining a tool changer for ISO50 milling tools and a pallet changer, all of which can be automated along with the 4P system.
By implementing automation in both the continuous drilling process and the changeover process, IMSA is empowering customers to drill longer and more reliably with less human intervention. With a number of additional automated features and processes that can be augmented to their machinery, IMSA is a pioneer in drilling automation.
Image courtesy of IMSA.
Essential Industry: Brought to you by Italian Machine Builders
Automation has become an essential part of achieving success in modern industry and Italian machine builders stand at the forefront of innovative automated design, incorporating high-tech solutions into their portfolio of machinery and services. From agriculture to recycling, Italian equipment is empowering operations to achieve greater efficiencies with fewer resources.
By remaining closely in tune with the needs of their customers, Italian machine builders are able to deliver highly tailored solutions that speak directly to specific industry challenges, no matter how minute. In this way, Italian machine builders are not just supporting their end users, they are empowering the vital industries we all rely on.
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