NEPTUN E ORCHESTRA: WHEN THE GLASS INDUSTRY MEETS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Since 2008, Neptun has been building glass processing machines by focusing on continuous improvements to offer the market special products with something extra: an original, intelligent solution that enhances performance, simplifies daily use, and embodies a future vision. Each machine and system operates individually effectively, but when activated together, they develop a synergy that elevates performance and productivity, ensuring far superior results. The current range consists of four lines of machines:

• vertical and horizontal washing machines (with Intelligence 4.0 options)
• straight-line grinding machines
• vertical CNC machining centers for drilling, milling and filleting
• robotic solutions for glass handling and processing.

NEPTUN considers digitization and sustainability essential elements for the competitiveness of manufacturing companies in the Industry 5.0 era.

For this reason, from 2022, the company chooses Orchestra to equip its machinery with digital solutions and develop its customers’ Industry 4.0 and 5.0 projects. For machinery manufacturers, Orchestra offers a solution in Italy that guarantees Industry 4.0 requirements and integrates technology to monitor energy consumption and access the incentives of the Transition 5.0 Plan.
Orchestra “Transition 5.0” package for NEPTUN customers includes:

1. technology to meet INDUSTRY 4.0 requirements;
2. integration with MID-certified energy meters to measure energy efficiency;
3. comprehensive practice management service.

The adoption of RETUNER® technology offers several advantages:

1. multi-protocol interconnection of machines with each other and with enterprise ICT systems;
2. provision of normalized and certified data for real-time production control;
3. integration of BI and AI functions to monitor the company’s competitiveness and resilience.

Finally, with xMES, the company has MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) for total visibility into the processes inherent in production, quality, maintenance and inventory, measurement of ESGs, which contribute to the formation of the sustainability report, and supply chain integration.

Fabio Palella, Sales Group of NEPTUN srl:

“Since its launch in fiscal year 2017, the Industry 4.0 plan has undergone continuous evolution and clarification both in technical requirements and regarding tax benefits. The name itself has changed from Industry 4.0 Plan to Enterprise 4.0 to today’s 5.0 Transition Plan. The ‘initial documentary complexity and tax benefit applicable to the depreciation plan made it suitable only for large and structured companies. The process of tax clarification and simplification with almost immediate benefit on Income Statement opened this opportunity to companies of all sizes. Neptun srl found itself at an advantage because most of the machines, equipped with PLCs or PCs, were already set up to work in automatic production lines even with robotic or Cartesian servos and therefore equipped with remote assistance modules for data interchange: therefore, adapting to I4.0 requirements was relatively easy. Within a few months there was a proliferation of companies supplying I4.0-compliant machinery and companies selling tax advice and software for interconnection. Machine manufacturers who had never used a PLC were promoting machines interconnected to company management with production drift control. Consultants who barely knew how to read a balance sheet and understand the functionality of a machine were ‘the experts’ All this was possible because of the self-certification system to obtain the tax credit for Capital Goods 4.0 with a taxable income of less than 300 thousand euros, whereby in case of non-compliance, the only person responsible before the Internal Revenue Service was the buyer himself, even if unaware or cheated.

At first Neptun worked with consultants and companies often supplied by clients or who contacted us, then one day we had to deal with the company Orchestra, introduced by a client, because they questioned whether one of our machines met the requirements at the time. A surprise because we already had similar machines certified or interconnected by other consultants. We then had to produce additional documentation and technical studies for them to prove that it met I 4.0 requirements. What was initially experienced with annoyance and irritation, because they were disputing a manufacturer’s claims, turned into professional esteem. We had found a company that was going to thoroughly analyze manufacturers’ statements and technical requirements of products. Since then, a successful collaboration with customers of various sizes began. Even today, if a client does not have its own consultant and asks us for advice, we do not hesitate to point to Orchestra Srl of Guido Colombo, as a professional and competent supplier for every interconnection business need.”

Learn more about RETUNER®.