Q&A
Biesse America
Gears Up
for AWFS Fair
An interview with Federico Broccoli
by Rich Christianson
Federico Broccoli, president and CEO of Biesse America and Biesse Canada, was
packing his bags in preparation to attend LIGNA Hannover when I caught up with him
to discuss the company’s expansive plans for the AWFS Fair, July 19-22, in Las Vegas.
Our wide-ranging, 30-minute phone interview touched on his expectations for the
Vegas show, Biesse’s continued focus on Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT),
an overview of what woodworkers can see and learn at Biesse’s booths 4800 and 7403
and the company’s 10th year supporting the Make-A-Wish® Foundation.
What follows is an edited transcript of our conversation.
Industry 4.0 and
the Internet of Things
will be the main
themes at the
technology leader’s
expanded booth.
Q
A
Rich Christianson: Biesse enjoyed its best AWFS Fair ever in
2015 and then reported selling $18 million worth of machinery at IWF 2016 in Atlanta. How does the success at the two
most recent North American woodworking shows shape
your expectations for this year’s edition of the AWFS Fair?
Federico Broccoli: Obviously with the North American
economy still gaining momentum, we are forecasting a great
show. Our optimism is high and we anticipate this show to
be even better than 2015. There are no indicators for us to
expect otherwise.
Christianson: I read that Biesse has booked 13,600 square
feet of space at the AWFS Fair and will showcase more than
20 machines under power. What are some key examples of
the technology that Biesse will demonstrate at the show?
Broccoli: We are making a bigger investment in booth
space this year to show a greater range of technology than
we have in the past, because we anticipate seeing more
customers from the northeast and
elsewhere, who may not normally
attend the Vegas show. Even though
our booth will be smaller than in
Atlanta, technologically speaking our
display will be at a very high level.
Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things
will be the big themes of our booth.
Most of the equipment on the floor
will be demonstrated with automated
material handling solutions and very
few stand alone machines. There will
be more connected working cells that
can achieve high productivity while
only requiring one operator.
All of our major technologies will be
represented including the Winstore
panel management
system, Airforce
hot-air edgebanders,
Selco CNC panel saw,
Rover CNC machining
“The
centers and Viet
sanders.
Broccoli: Predictive maintenance is
different than preventive maintenance
and ties in with Industry 4.0 and
the Internet of Things. A machine,
connected to our service department
through the Internet, keeps a record of
all of the machine’s operating functions and is constantly on the lookout
for anomalies. This intelligent machine has a dialogue with our company and we try to prevent, for example,
the failure of an electro spindle by
analyzing data. It might be that there
is a sudden spike in the electro spindle’s temperature or it detects higher
vibration of the spindle motor that signals it will fail sooner, rather than later.
automation of 4.0 and the connectivity of
machines is something that small shops, as well as
In addition, for the
first time in North
large shops, can do by applying logic to their process.
America, Biesse will
present equipment
It’s all about having a plan. Industry 4.0 is more than
from Uniteam, a
company in northern
Italy acquired late
just machines. It’s about how to better organize your
last year by Biesse.
Uniteam is very
factory in terms of efficiency – reducing inventory
strong in advanced
materials like timber
beams for housing
and improving workflow ...”
construction, plastics
– Federico Broccoli
and other advanced
materials. We will
have a Uniteam CNC
multi-axis machining
center in our booth.
This is an exciting
development for
When the data points to something
Biesse because we are now able to
strange, we try to perform corrective
penetrate new market niches.
maintenance to prevent failure that
We will also have a service desk for
can lead to costly downtime. The goal
the Internet of Things with a particular
is for the technician to arrive before
emphasis on predictive maintenance.
the failure, not after.
Christianson: Sounds interesting.
What are some of the things woodworkers will learn about predictive
maintenance at your service booth?
We are now building our machines to
be Internet of Things ready. We have
eight Rover CNC machines involved
IoT
“With the Internet of Things,
we are truly introducing
something new to the industry
and bringing our machines to
an elevated level.”
in IoT tests in Italy. Those tests are
showing great results. Obviously, this
is an area of continuous development
but it is a reality that will be introduced
at LIGNA. This is a small step but an
important initial step.
From preventive maintenance to
predictive maintenance, Biesse’s goal
is to not only be a technological leader
in machine technology but also in
services. With the Internet of Things,
we are truly introducing something
new to the industry and bringing our
machines to an elevated level. We are
setting a new industry standard and
we are starting a strong technological
path in Germany at LIGNA and in
Vegas at AWFS.
We welcome woodworking shops of
all sizes to stop by the IoT service
desk. We want to share information
on this technology with everyone,
not only the top 500 shops, but also
small shops as well so they will not
shy away from this ground breaking
innovation.
Christianson: Biesse has staked a
strong claim for advancing Industry
4.0 for the woodworking industry.
What is your elevator for woodworkers
trying to understand what Industry 4.0
is and why they should embrace it?
Broccoli: Today you want to increase
efficiency in your factory without
increasing the number of people or
space. In North America the space
issue is less sensitive than in Europe
where space is extremely expensive
and sometimes impossible to come
by. The challenge of European
manufacturing, and why they embrace
Industry 4.0, is to automate as much
as they can and create all of the
efficiencies that they can in as small
of space as possible without being
dependent on people.
The automation of 4.0 and the connectivity of machines is something
that small shops, as well as large
shops, can do by applying logic to
their process. It’s all about having a
plan. Industry 4.0 is more than just
machines. It’s about how to better
organize your factory in terms of
efficiency – reducing inventory and
improving workflow so things aren’t
going back and forth.
The real need for being successful
with 4.0 is not mechanical engineering
but the connectivity made possible by
software. Software is truly becoming
more and more important, which is
why Biesse is investing more in ongoing software development. Right now,
we need to educate our customers
that a 4.0 factory is not a million dollar
investment. Everyone can afford it,
and the benefits are fantastic. This is
not the future in 20 years, it is happening now.
Christianson: It sounds like Industry
4.0 is building on the concepts of
lean manufacturing and continuous
improvement by integrating
technology and software to drive
them to a higher level.
Broccoli: Precisely.
Christianson: Are you seeing more
of your customers jumping on the
Industry 4.0 bandwagon?
Broccoli: Yes. Historically, it was
easier to find cheap labor in North
America so woodworking companies
here were a little reluctant to
invest in automation compared to
woodworking shops in Europe. Today
we are not only seeing big companies
but small companies as well with 15
or 20 employees buying technology
like Winstore to reduce labor and
improve efficiency.
Christianson: Any final thoughts?
Broccoli: I would like to tell all of our
U.S. and Canadian customers, not
only those on the West Coast: Don’t
miss the opportunity to attend AWFS
because the evolution of innovation in
our industry is so exciting you can no
longer go to a show every two years
and expect to keep up. Things are
moving fast.
North America requires an important
show every year, just as Europe has
LIGNA and Xylexpo. AWFS is not a
second show to IWF, or an East Coast
versus West Coast show, but a major
learning opportunity for our industry.
If you want to grow and rebuild
American manufacturing, it’s not
only hiring people that will make you
more competitive but also automating
that will make your company more
competitive. Attending AWFS will
give you the opportunity to learn
more about the new technology and
software that is just being introduced
that can help you achieve this goal.
Christianson: Let’s switch gears and
talk about Biesse’s long-standing
involvement with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation. Why do you choose to
support this charity?
Broccoli: We truly support Make-AWish® with our heart and not only our
wallet. We believe in this organization
because it is serious about using
donations to fulfill wishes of children
with life threatening illnesses. It allows
children and their families to spend a
few days away from doctor visits and
treatments, and simply enjoy being
a family and most importantly, being
a kid. Make-A-Wish is a respected
organization and our customers
truly appreciate the opportunity to
participate. We are proud to celebrate
our 10th year partnering with the
foundation and will once again
present them with a check on behalf
of the entire Biesse group and our
employees at our Thursday night
reception during the AWFS show.
Everyone can afford it,
and the benefits are
fantastic. This is not the
future in 20 years,
it is happening now.