C.A.T.E.T. S.r.l. is a small company specialising in the production of wiring and electrical panels for manufacturers of equipment, machinery and devices.

C.A.T.E.T. S.r.l. is facing a series of operational challenges that are hindering production optimisation and jeopardising its ability to respond quickly to the demands of a constantly evolving market. Despite its focus on continuous technological innovation, the company needs to overcome a number of barriers in order to remain competitive and prepare for potential increases in future workloads.

Currently, production processes suffer from poor visibility of progress, which is mostly managed through non-integrated IT and/or paper-based systems that provide incomplete and non-real-time data. This lack of integration compromises the ability to obtain a complete and accurate view of production. Furthermore, the absence of a scheduling system makes it difficult to plan heterogeneous activities, such as manual and electronic processing. An additional obstacle is inefficient communication, both between the various departments of the company and between the production department and the office, which slows down the operational and decision-making flow.

The project involves the implementation of a Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) system for the computerisation of the production execution process, the dispatching of orders to operators through detailed scheduling and the monitoring of production activities related to machines and manual processing.

The manufacturing execution system (MOM) will be integrated with the company’s ERP to enable a two-way flow of information between the operational level of the production plant and the administrative/management level.

From a technological point of view, the proposed innovation concerns the adoption of technologies aimed at digitising the production data management and collection process through the interconnection of machines and manual data collection, the use of devices to support operators (HMI) and an integrated information system:

Manufacturing Execution System (MES): For real-time monitoring of machines and manual operations.

Finite capacity scheduling software: To optimise resource management and production times.

ERP integration: Improved data flow between factory operations and company management.

In summary, the main impacts in terms of internal processes can be determined by considering increases in:

Sharing: The know-how of more experienced people becomes structured knowledge within the company (and therefore value) that can be made available to all company personnel, especially younger and less experienced employees.

Accuracy and speed: The ability to transfer information and reduce errors also benefits end users (customers).

Empowerment: in addition to office staff and area managers, field operators will also have more autonomy and responsibility in data entry and visibility of their performance, leading to an increase not only in employee participation but also in production efficiency. Furthermore, an integrated platform will create a virtuous circle that will be useful for recognising employee merit.