Galli launches the “Interactive 3D Layout Factory,” the new frontier of human- machine interaction, and aims for total efficiency.
In recent years, we are witnessing a radical change in the idea of the entrepreneur who, now on a daily basis, has to contend with increasingly pressing and ever-changing market rules. Through motivation, encouragement and the instilling of strong guiding values, those who decide to continue to do business despite difficulties have the opportunity to create significant added value to their company both externally and internally. Davide Galli, production manager of the Vigevano-based company – a leader in the design and manufacture of machinery for leather goods and footwear, – has a clear and strategic vision of the future: to approach reality by divesting from the idea of an obsolete way of doing business and to look beyond, adopting innovative methods devoted to savings and efficiency.
You have taken a definite path….
“Putting an extra focus on energy and consumption is a given. For us at Galli, energy saving is a very important issue to which we have been devoting resources and time for many years. Our company has always been considered a point of reference in the industry because we have always tried to create technologies that needed fewer steps, less use of materials, while maintaining excellent quality standards. This year, at Simac Tanning tech, for example, we presented a machine equipped with automatic shutdown: when it is not used for a defined amount of time, it turns itself off to avoid unnecessary waste. At the same time, with a view to greater efficiency, we have reduced the set-up time so that this operation is also done in an automized manner. With this new technology the hours in which the operator will have to keep the machine on, adjust it and do the relevant tests is reduced to a minimum, therefore also decreasing product waste. One must always keep in mind that if an operator is very experienced, he does this type of operation in very little time but the less experienced one takes much longer.”
Is there then, a new energy management system emerging?
“For us, fuel economy is a focus, so the next machines we work on will always follow this ideological thread.”
And of smarter automation…
“That allows the operator to be faster, more precise and efficient, even without having accumulated decades of experience. It used to be common in our industry for know-how to be handed down from father to son, but through the use of these new technologies, the approach becomes simpler and accessible to many more people, ensuring ever higher product quality.”
With the same machinery, how does the quality of the final product increase?
“Thanks to the reduction of steps and the standardization of individual processes, products are able to be optimized more easily because you are able to more quickly identify the most appropriate accessories, or for example, the most suitable types of leather…”
You have started a new digital system: the Interactive 3D Layout Factory. What is it exactly?
“The Interactive 3D Layout Factory is a digital preview of what a fully interactive leather goods company could be. Through a specially designed educational site we make all our experience in the field of mechanical engineering and industrial design available to our customers. We give them the opportunity to ideally “see” how the ideal factory could be built. Each of our clients will have the opportunity to engage interactively with all our machines and view their every feature and production capability. But that’s not all: they will also be able to see what accessories can be used, what types of processing can be done, and how each individual machine can improve work by reducing waste.”
Do you also provide customizations?
“Of course we do but, first and foremost, they ask us for a lot of advice because we are reliable and punctual partners. Our company can offer the complete solution to make belts, bags, wallets, watch straps, creating all the equipment in-house. In the course of nearly fifty years of business, we have acquired very high skills and the undoubted ability to manage any problems as well. With the relocation of factories to China much knowledge has been lost. We have always kept this knowledge in-house, we have never lost it. Our production is all Italian. Fortunately, the big brands are coming back to Italy and Europe to produce: they use our arms and our heads. Of course, this requires a change in mentality: before we used more manual skills, today we need more technology.”
And a lot of strategy…
“Strategy, technology and innovation are all things that need to evolve. As is safety, another subject strongly felt in Galli. Safety is always one of the first criteria on which any new project is developed. It is very important for us to keep the quality standards of our machinery very high. This is our primary interest and the market recognizes this. We want to aim to make more and more innovation and continue to provide increasingly excellent solutions.”
What new projects are you working on?
“We have recently started the Galli Academy, a service designed specifically for customers to learn how to use our machines to their maximum performance. We organize training courses at our headquarters or directly in the company of our customer. In this way we offer a concrete solution to the problem of staff shortages, which we know now is another very critical and crucial issue. We know that the sudden stop of a machine used in production, if unplanned, could lead a company to suffer serious damage that goes to affect not only its economy but also its image, therefore jeopardizing the relationship of trust created over the years with its customers. In this case you can turn to us with extreme confidence: we will take care of the new staff by equipping them with the necessary skills through special training and direct experience on the field.”