The New Plant

The new Celli S.p.A. plant was designed and constructed in line with the reference values of the group, who see sustainability and energy saving as a priority. In addition to the macroscopic aspects related to new production processes, extensively detailed in the articles that follow, every detail was taken care of in terms of efficiency and simplicity. Ranging from solar panels for hot water to the preparation of equipment for photovoltaics; from condensing boilers to timers and to motion sensors for the lights in the office corridors, all made with the utmost care and competence.

Research and development and laboratory department

To support the effort and research on the new products mentioned above - the Research & Development Department has been completely renovated and streamlined.

The CAD software for graphic design and 3D design has been updated and enlarged. It is important to point out that these workstations are linked directly with a rapid prototyping printer that allows obtaining samples of many of the products still in the design phase.

The Laboratory has been completely redefined and strengthened and the number of climatic test chambers - all with controlled temperature and humidity - has risen from 1 to 3.

Each chamber is connected to a data acquisition device connected to a central computer from which both the parameter settings as well as the monitoring are carried out, useful to record the temperature, pressure and electrical values during the testing of the equipment. All data acquisition device have several channels, allowing the testing of several machines inside the same chamber.

Having 3 climatic chambers within which dedicated test can be performed is a huge leap in quality, especially for the modernity of the chosen equipment and, consequently, to the countless possibilities that these next-generation facilities can achieve. The opportunity to develop more tests at the same time will allow reliable experimental results to be obtained very quickly and in an easier and more convenient manner. At the same time, by recreating any weather and electrical condition in the laboratory, testing following the specification of clients from all over the world will be possible.

The new warehouse

One of the most impressive and challenging improvements in the new headquarters was dedicated to the warehouse.

A careful analysis of the stock codes was carried out during the design of the new plant, taking into account stocks, turnover rates and handling flows in order to ascertain the actual productivity needs of the warehousing. From this analysis arose the need to build a warehouse which could handle about 700 small items and about 600 items on traditional pallets every day in high season.

Among the possible solutions, it was finally decided to split the warehouse between an automated section that could handle about 11,000/12,000 “small item” codes and a traditional section for the remaining 5000 / 6000 codes and on pallets.

The automated warehouse has been equipped with a transelevator for the pickup of boxes, which provides a productivity of about 100 missions per hour and is capable of making 800 picking or refilling movements per shift. The introduction of automated procedures and electronic identification systems will reduce human errors and speed up the preparation of materials, both for production and for shipment to customers.

The traditional warehouse is designed to maximise the height of the building and optimising the available space so as to contain the remaining codes. For this purpose two new trilateral wire-guided trollies were acquired capable of handling pallets in confined spaces due to the 180 degree movement of the forks. The productivity of this system is 30/40 missions every hour for each trolley.

Innovations in productive processes

Numerous production related innovations have been introduced.

Firstly, to meet the new market and work safety requirements, a new production line was acquired that maintains high levels of flexibility and control at the same time ensuring maximum ergonomics to the operator.

A tracking system of the main plant components has been implemented, that allows to trace the production batches of components through the machine’s serial number. With this method it is possible to act in a timely and focused manner on products already on the market, intercepting and correcting any deficiencies.

The system’s production line test procedures the have also been automated - both pre-mix and post-mix - so as to reduce the chances of human error to a minimum.

An electronic identification system (RFID) will also be implemented that allows to store information on the machine’s production (traceability) on a chip in the machine itself. Information concerning the Assistance Centres keeping track of operations can also be stored on the same chip. This information could be read by a special reader even when the machine is packed or on the truck.

Completing the innovations implemented in the production area is a new robotised island that has been introduced for the bending of steel and copper pipes and that is also equipped with a traceability system. Celli SpA, which has always been attentive to issues related to safety at work, has introduced this machine because it can process coils, coolers and pipes without the presence of the operator. This will allow high production flexibility improving the delivery times for small special productions and samples.

The new training room

The completely renovated Training room is located within a spacious and illuminated area, worthy of a training agency, where the latest demonstration equipment and a fully functional bar with Celli products has been installed.

The traditional courses organised by CELLI SpA provide participants with the skills needed to perform installation and maintenance of professional tap system for the dispensing of beer, soft drinks, wine and water. As usual, the courses provide a theoretical and a practical section in which participants will be able to use the equipment directly. The sharing of experiences of all participants will be encouraged during the courses in order to cover all topics of interest.

The Master “Dispenser of excellence” by the new Celli Dispensing Academy will be launched in May in collaboration with the Bar University (part of the Sole24Ore group).