Innovation and technology together for the evolution of a bygone profession
There are few ancient and traditional trades such as the production of wooden handles for tools. As a matter of fact, in our industry, it is difficult to make innovations in the true sense, that is, by intervening directly on the product. With the exception of small changes to the design or the composition of paints (link article) for details, wooden handles have always been quite similar in shape and production.
What changes from one wooden handle to another is undoubtedly the quality of both the processing and the raw materials used (especially if certified to be “environmentally friendly”).
So what has Foppoli Bramin been innovating in recent months?
In what is called Industry 4.0 or better, in our case, Production 4.0.
Let’s see what this is about.
Wooden handles… 4.0
What does Industry 4.0 mean in the first place?
This is a new way of thinking about production by adding technology that can improve parameters such as product quality, supply chain control, delivery times and the amount of production waste.
Above all, this is a business model based on the introduction of software and it can involve production, infrastructure and energy consumption according to these guidelines:
- Smart production – with the use of technology that promotes the collaboration among humans, machines and tools
- Smart service – with the addition of channels that allow you to seamlessly integrate the contact between the company and suppliers and clients/customers
- Smart energy – with the implementation of good practices able to create more efficient systems aimed at avoiding energy waste (and perhaps introducing the use of renewable or sustainable energies)
We have intervened on the three points listed above in Industry 4.0 in the following ways:
- Production – We have integrated chain software into our production in order to monitor the lines by programming their duration with an eye always set on quality control. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we can control the actual yields of the production and the timing, immediately identifying any bottlenecks and where to intervene
- Relationship with customers and suppliers – Thanks to the introduction of the new software, we can create a production schedule according to the times and delivery dates agreed with the customer. Punctuality and timely delivery were already the strengths of our company: now thanks to Industry 4.0, it is even more so
- Energy – These new, cutting-edge technologies combined with generations of experience have allowed us to develop a production cycle that reuses all the waste derived from the production phases to create and put on the market a natural fuel with great calorific power (free of glues, resins and paints). Thanks to this strategy of optimisation of the production cycle, we have obtained the recognition of Artisan Excellence by the Lombardy Region, created by the Lombardy Region and Unioncamere to support the craftsmanship industry with innovative models and ideas. Not only do we work to use as little energy as possible, but we also produce fuel that can be used by third parties to produce additional energy.
Innovation in the production of wooden handles for tools is not a foregone conclusion: the real challenge is that of combining centuries-old tradition of woodworking with new technologies that allow companies like ours to make a further leap in quality and new ideas.
After all, wooden handles are ancient tools, yet at the same time still incredibly modern.
Choose quality wooden handles, discover all our products.
