In
the heart of that Emilian medical district known throughout the world and that
revolves around Mirandola, there is a company that has been helping other
companies since the 1990s thanks to electronic cards, the Internet of Things
and industrial automation. Profile of Picotronik, which found its light in a
garage used as a laboratory and that today can be considered an Emilian hi-tech
jewel. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Luca Dotti, Founder and Chairman of
Picotronik for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
“I have made
you neither celestial nor earthly, neither mortal nor immortal, so that you
could mould and sculpt yourself as an almost free and sovereign creator in the
form you would have chosen. According to your will, you will be able to
regenerate yourself in higher things." It is a passage from the Oratio de
hominis dignitate, the work of that philosopher and humanist, known as Pico
della Mirandola, who inspired generations and gave an identity to an entire
community. After all, he was responsible for the name of a company, which was
born in a garage converted into a laboratory and heated with a small kerosene
stove. We are right in the centre of Mirandola, but this story could have also
been set in those stars and stripes garages that have become icons for
generations of entrepreneurs in America. But let's stay in Emilia. Here a young
man, of just twenty-six in love with electronics, began to do amazing things.
But actually that laboratory was born years before, right from middle school.
Here an electric motor made with a cork, a piece of iron and combined with a
copper wire could really work. «I followed my passion. We are lucky, but we
were also smart», repeats Luca Dotti like a mantra. But in his words we can
read in the watermark the passion of a community that has managed to create one
of the best-known medical poles in the world and that idea of a family business
that scales the markets. In fact, Dotti created the company with his wife and
over the years his children also joined. A family that links past and future.
Company
profile. But let's take a step back in time. Picotronik was born and grew right
in Mirandola, a town of twenty-five thousand souls north of Modena. It all
started in 1990 in that garage transformed into a laboratory. But since then a
lot of water has flowed under the bridge. Today the company has 43 employees
and a turnover of over 3.5 million, with a growth of +60% in the last three
years. The DNA is centred on innovation, product quality, dedication to
customer service, flexibility, internal supply chain management. «However, the
world is constantly on the move, and the ability to adapt is crucial. In recent
years, we necessarily innovated in multiple ways. We invested in research and
development, we hired new figures, we made strategic acquisitions with
companies in the area, we created an internal precision mechanics workshop to
optimise the production times of the mechanical parts used on the equipment we
produce for ourselves and for the clients. Today we are equipping an area of
the factory for the assembly of electronic boards for the sampling and
pre-series», states Luca Dotti, Founder and Chairman of Picotronik. Here we
work in the field of designing and manufacturing electronic equipment and
boards on our own and on behalf of third parties, but also in the manufacturing
of load cells that adapt perfectly to all those industrial or medical
situations that need to weigh something or that need to carry out stress tests.
Technologies
and people. Here we offer innovative and cutting-edge technological products
and solutions that improve company productivity and efficiency. This helps
companies grow and achieve their business goals. «We focus on customising
solutions. We work closely with our customers to understand their specific
needs and develop tailored products that address the unique challenges of their
field of work. This approach ensures that the solutions provided are seamlessly
integrated into existing business processes, maximising the effectiveness of
the implementation», says Dotti. Technology becomes the guiding star for this
company, which is in the field as a technological coach for other companies.
But there is more. Today we talk about IoT, i.e. Internet of Things, and
industrial automation. The integration of these two technologies has led to a
radical change: IoT devices, equipped with advanced sensors, collect data in
real time and allow companies to obtain a detailed view of their operations.
Automation, powered by intelligent algorithms and machine learning, uses this
data to make immediate decisions and optimise processes. This ability to
dynamically adapt to real-time conditions significantly improved the
flexibility and efficiency of production lines. «Today, IoT extends its
presence beyond the borders of the factory, entering the domain of asset
management and predictive maintenance. Companies that embrace IoT can monitor
asset usage, predict imminent failures and plan maintenance in advance,
reducing downtime and increasing plant availability», says Dotti. Looking to
the future, without forgetting the extraordinary things done in the past. The
earthquake of May 2012 was the most difficult time, with the factory half
collapsed and unusable. But that Emilian resilience prevailed. «In a few weeks
we started producing in the containers again and started reconstruction, so in
a few months we were fully operational again», recalls Dotti. What a lession in
life!
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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