TPI November 2020

Products & developments

CSM Group – constant innovation as a pathway to success in a world of Industry 4.0

In an increasingly fast and unpredictable world, we often hear the phrase: “Only animals that are able to adapt faster to change will survive natural selection.” At CSM Group, a Veneto, Italy-based expert in the construction of production machines and stainless steel pipes, it has been clear for some time now that ‘adapting’ to change is no longer enough – change must be predicted and taken in your stride, turning great challenges into equally great opportunities. Elisabetta and Marco Trolese, the children of Giorgio – the founder – are now at the helm of the international CSM Group, combining CSMMachinery, manufacturer of automation machines, and CSM Tube which, with over 50 million metres exported all over the world, is one of the most important manufacturers of stainless steel pipes. The second generation are driving change in an effort to retain market leadership in Europe and expand the group’s position in the US, as well as in South America, where manufacturing facilities were set up more than five years ago. Believing in people, supporting their ideas and fostering their creativity, have always been the mantra at CSM, which is also the reason why over the years, the company has become a landmark in the region, capable of attracting talents from all industries. Investing in remote working, becoming leaner and investing in the digital transformation, fostering the cross-breeding of ideas has been especially easy, because the value of synergy is always the priority. Over the last two years, managers from important

technology multinationals have joined the group, making it possible to further increase the level of professionalism of its staff and dealing with the global markets from a more advantageous position. During the growth of CSM Tube, the fact that a company with a calling for engineering and metallurgy was able to count on a reliable partner such as CSM Machinery (which over the years also absorbed AZ Elettronica) to test cutting-edge electronic solutions, made it possible to be often the first to offer products with advanced automation and thus to be able to guarantee extremely high quality levels and at the same time to be extremely competitive on cost. The fact that the two company facilities were not close, although in the same municipality, and the opening of facilities in Brazil and in the USA, called for investing in and embracing the Industry 4.0 concepts as well as digitalisation of its infrastructure and its workforce a long time ago, to the point that for more than three years now, CSM Machinery employees include a team devoted to digital transformation. Thanks to the CSM Monitoring solution, it is able to constantly monitor the operation of the more than 24 pipe production lines active around the clock, either from the Codogné headquarters, or from home, with a normal Tablet computer. The use is able to check their performance, foresee any problems and schedule any maintenance. All production lines are fitted not only with sensors in all data collection points, but also with cameras placed in the

critical points of the process, in order to perform diagnostics and remote servicing from anywhere in the world. Talented people, digital infrastructure, smart software and connected machines are therefore the recipe of a smart company, not only when it comes to work methods, which in the current global situation is an extra benefit, but also in its ability to react rapidly to any situation in the globalised world that we live in. Therefore, being able to guarantee service continuity worldwide and under all circumstances, has made both customers and suppliers aware that they are dealing with a mature company, ready to face global and complex markets, where only the most efficient among us are able to compete. According to the vision of the company’s top management, 2021 will be an extremely important year for CSM Group because it will mark stepping up the release of new products, both by CSM Tube, with a new range of pipes, and by CSM Machinery, which will release new production intelligence software as well as new smart production lines, stemming from a well-established cooperation with the University of Padua, Italy. The digital transformation therefore consolidates, with a view to Industry 4.0, already looking at what the new paradigm of change will be in the coming years. CSM Group www.csmtube.com www.csmmachinery.com

PermaFlex™ conforms to curved surfaces PermaFlex™ is the newest metal identification tag to be added to the PermaLabel ® family from InfoSight. PermaLabel ® is the scratch proof metal tag that has been the standard for durable asset identification. InfoSight then produced the PermaLabel ® VI, which added colour coding for fast visual asset identification. These metal tags are rigid and do not conform to curved surfaces very well. With PermaFlex™, all of the durable properties and resistance of PermaLabel ® exist, with the benefit of a flexible tag that can conform to curved surfaces. PermaFlex™ is attached to products with adhesive. Since the tags retain their shape once curved, they work with the adhesive to remain attached. InfoSight www.infosight.com

33

www.read-tpi.com

November 2020 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL