Manufacturing 4.0 - the case study of Gaya Gelato Lab

Abstract

The main objective of this dissertation is to describe and analyse the phenomenon of smart manufacturing, at international and national level. The expression Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing are closely related due to the technologies and actors involved: smart manufacturing involves manufacturer and SME, while Industry 4.0 might involve a wider range of industries. The expression Industry 4.0 belongs to the project in the high-tech strategy of the German government that promotes the computerization of traditional industries. Its technological foundation consists of cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things. This revolution is made possible by the availability of sensors and low-cost wireless connections, associated with an increasingly pervasive use of data and information, computational technologies and data analysis, new materials, components and systems and totally digitized connected (internet of things and machines). Industry 4.0 requires technological solutions for: optimize production processes, support of industrial automation processes, promote economic cooperation between businesses through advanced techniques of distributed planning, integrated management of logistics network and interoperability of information systems. We will comment the international trends of digitalization through the datas provided by the Global Informational Technology Report, the most significant annual report regarding worldwide digital industry growth. Then there will be a focus on the main case studies located in Italy, describing how and who is carrying out the Digital Manufacturing revolution in our country. Afterwords we will introduce our main case study, Gaya Gelatolab Srl, an Italian company founded in Italy in 2016 but present in the Asian market since 2008, working in the field of Gastronomy of the Natural Gelato from Italian tradition. The main technology innovation of Gaya lies in its production system at the center of which there is an exclusive batch freezer: "Principessa", in honor of the Sicilian plateau where the Italian gelato was born. Thanks to mantecatrice "Principessa" and its particular conservation of the temperature, one central laboratory can provide several stores every day, multiplying the potential for penetration in the area of interest with a fresh, handmade and high quality. Another innovative point of the "Gaya Gelatolab System" is balancing software recipes that can manage the exact quantities of the ingredients. The whole technology is Gaya online. Eventually we highlight the aspects that make smart manifacturing a significant resource for the Italian economy, thanks to the ability of digital technology to enhance the driver of the SME. We also want to demosntrate how the case study of Gaya Gelatolab is an impressive business model with international scope in the Italian manufacturing sector.