Handling, assembling, loading and processing SIR

HANDLING, ASSEMBLING, LOADING AND PROCESSING

Barbara Rossi speaks to the general manager of SIR SPA – Lino Ferrari – about the customised robotised solutions on offer, the importance of R&D and the vital role of suppliers and how his company has no margin for error.

SIR SpA was established in Modena in 1984 by Luciano Passoni, an experienced university-qualified engineer who had developed a passion for the first anthropomorphic robots which had started appearing on the market. Mr Passoni, who is still the CEO of SIR, was previously one of the partners of an important engineering design firm which was collaborating with two other companies, respectively specialised in mechanical engineering and manufacturing of electric and electronics systems. Thanks to this partnership the three companies were able to provide turn-key solutions, with shared commercial and organisational resources. One of their main clients was the Fiat group, which had started producing anthropomorphic robots through Comau in 1983. This was the spark for Mr Passoni’s passion and SIR SpA was created from the merger of the three companies.

SIR stands for Soluzioni Industriali Robotizzate (Robotised Industrial Solutions) and at first it was indeed producing these products, as proven by Tomcat – a six-axis anthropomorphic robot, which was extremely innovative for its time. This robot took its name from the fact that at the first trade fair where it was showcased it drew a cat. “Until recently there were still some models of Tomcat in active service. We have repurchased one model so that it can be displayed at our premises, as part of our heritage,” Mr Ferrari says.

SIR soon stopped actually manufacturing anthropomorphic robots, turning its attention to providing integrated robotised turn-key solutions. While the actual robots are sourced from the best manufacturers on the market, SIR is active in solution engineering, integration, testing and installation. “We source the actual robots from high-quality, highly reliable suppliers, without being restricted to any particular manufacturer. Today our role is mainly in engineering, operating as a system integrator,” explains Mr Ferrari. “We only supply customised turn-key solutions, unique for each customer. We act as real partners to our clients and our main role is in the engineering and initial technical and economic assessment phase. We have to understand what the needs of our clients are and how to best fulfil them through a customised technical solution. Our know-how and experience are extremely important at this stage, especially because we serve a very varied range of clients. Some of them are very technologically advanced with cutting-edge R&D departments, while some of our smaller customers may need more support during this initial phase. Thanks to our vast knowledge of the anthropomorphic robot manufacturing sector we can select the best robots for the needs of the customer and then integrate them in a turn-key solution. At present we have about 3000 systems installed in various countries.

“For us R&D is absolutely vital (we have developed 200 patents in Italy) and we are continuously searching for new products and ways of customising and integrating them, for two main reasons. The first is that the market demands new solutions, while the second is that the products offered by this sector are continuously evolving, especially in terms of software and electronics. Increasingly the market has new needs, for instance there is now interest for these products in countries which previously did not use them.”

No margin for error

The R&D department is led by Davide Passoni, son of the company founder, together with another four engineers. Moreover, SIR has a long-term collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, proven by the fact that a university laboratory is actually based at the company’s premises and that there is a SIR laboratory at the university. “As well as being valuable in terms of the actual collaboration, this partnership allows us to recruit new engineering graduates and access research funds.”

The company operates from a sole site in Modena and employs 80 members of staff plus the employees based at the organisation’s foreign technical and commercial offices and branches. In fact, in order to provide logistics support to its customers the company has a network of foreign technical and commercial offices and branches, as well as using the global network of the B & T Group to which it belongs. Recently it opened a technical and commercial office in Germany and is transforming its US office into an actual branch, so as to be better able to assist its clients in this geographical area (an office is also present in Brazil). For similar reasons, SIR has recently launched its new multilingual website www.sir-mo. com. “A website of this type is particularly important for a company such as ours,

offering customised rather than standard solutions, because it provides our customers with the opportunity of understanding our technology and what we offer.”

The turnover for 2013 was €28 million and SIR stands in good stead for growth, as it owns a plot of land next to its Modena site, for which it has building permission. “Should the need arise at any time, we can proceed with building. We are the main robotics solution integrator in Italy and one of the main ones in Europe. However, in order to maintain our high-level customised offer we cannot expand indiscriminately, because our key feature is engineering, for which skilled staff that have undergone years of the right training is required. Manufacturing is not an issue, as we have suppliers which can do this for us, but we have no margin for errors. Every solution that we supply is unique and has to be optimal, as we have no second chance. Because of this our solutions have to be based on solid ideas and engineering.”

The range of sectors supplied by SIR robotised industrial solutions is extremely wide, in fact unique in its industry, although the core business is in mechanics, aerospace and automotive, with a particular focus on high-quality engineering. The middle-high range of these sectors will continue to be the engine for growth in the future, but industries such as food, beverage, packaging, tissue and sanitary tiles also offer scope for expansion, as there will be increasing demand for robotised industrial solutions for their packaging and storage needs, especially at a time when warehousing is kept to a minimum.

Geographically Italy generates about 35 per cent of turnover, while ‘old Europe’ is still the cornerstone of the business (see Germany for the automotive sector). Other interesting markets are the former Yugoslavian countries, North America and Mexico, as well as Turkey, where German companies are increasingly setting up production facilities and SIR is keeping a watchful eye. “We need to further develop our presence on existing markets; Turkey is very interesting, while other geographical areas of potential interest call for a certain caution due to possible political instability or custom duty issues. The heart of our engineering must remain here, but we are considering possible partnerships in areas where there is a high demand for engineering processes. Developing abroad with our own sites is possible, but would require a lot of staff training. The other option is that of creating partnerships with local engineering entities, so as to be able to have support staff able to intervene very quickly – something which the market increasingly demands and which is the reason why, for instance, tier1 suppliers are inceasingly based near automotive production facilities.”

For SIR, suppliers are absolutely critical. While it is free to choose robot manufacturers from the four corners of the globe, it tends to prefer flexible and dynamic small to medium local companies offering high-quality products. “We delegate quality control to them (although all solutions are then internally tested) and they are very scrupulous, as ultimately they will have to pay the consequences of any mistakes. They have been selected over the years and we are fully prepared to invest in them in terms of know-how and technology, as they are extremely valuable.”

Mr Ferrari concludes, “SIR is an atypical company, because in 30 years it has created its own market and clientele. We are an extremely dynamic operation, staffed by people who truly feel passionate about what they are doing. We are really customer and market-oriented and follow an ethical code, involving respect for others, good staff relations and meritocracy. We often hold open-house events because we feel that getting clients to visit us is our best possible business card. By coming here they can see with their own eyes what we are capable of doing and where our talent lies, as well as feeling our passion for our work.” n