FEDERICI LUCA E C. snc: the Industry 4.0 revolution in a small woodworking business

THE CHALLENGE: modernizing a traditional woodworking firm

Founded in 1966, Federici Luca e C. snc is a woodworking firm based in Italy. Over time, it evolved into a specialized panel-shaping workshop for furniture. Today, the company employs seven people, five of whom work in production.

In 2021, the company decided to expand and digitize its machine park by adding five new BIESSE machines. This move enabled them to benefit from the Italian Transition 4.0 tax credits. In addition, it started a partnership with Orchestra aimed at digitizing operations according to Industry 4.0 standards.

THE SOLUTION: installing a tailored MES

First, the company needed production management software to connect to the new machinery. Since they were using BIESSE machines, they chose BIESSE’s SMARTCONNECTION, powered by RETUNER®, a MES co-developed by BIESSE and Orchestra. Importantly, this version is designed specifically for small and medium woodworking enterprises.

Before this investment, the company lacked efficient production control. Therefore, this implementation was a crucial step toward streamlined operations.

THE BENEFITS: digital efficiency in action

Thanks to SMARTCONNECTION, several improvements became possible:

• First, the ability to plan and control machining operations improved—this applied to both machine-operated and manual stations, with full visibility over every production stage.
• Second, job tracking became real-time, including cost monitoring.
• Third, processing times began to be accurately detected, leading to more realistic production estimates.
• Moreover, delivery scheduling improved.
• Additionally, communication between office and production was simplified.
• Finally, the switch from paper-based work bills to mobile devices eliminated manual data entry. This enabled automatic data capture and reduced errors.

In summary, the software has met (and exceeded) the expectations of Federici. As Luca Federici, the owner, explains:

“The software is simple, intuitive, and solves several issues. It greatly aids scheduling and tracking work orders. Moreover, it allows more precise time tracking compared to traditional tools.”