Global Special Papers and Self-Adhesives Manufacturer Fedrigoni Installs ABB’s Lab Data Management System at its Innovation Centre to Drive Efficiency

  • ABB’s L&W Lab Management System deployed at new research development and innovation (RD&I) facility in Italy to expedite paper testing
  • Automatic aggregation of data from lab instruments considerably reduces testing time, enabling faster, more intuitive analysis and decision-making via web-based application

One of the leading global manufacturers of premium papers and self-adhesive materials, Fedrigoni, has contracted ABB to install its L&W Lab Management System (LMS) at its new RD&I facility in Verona to optimize efficiency and reduce lab procedure time.

The Fedrigoni Innovation Center is described as an important milestone in the group’s growth journey (Photo: Fedrigoni)

The Fedrigoni Innovation Centre, a very important milestone in the Group’s growth journey, will officially open at the beginning of 2024. The 3,000sqm space will consist of four closely complementary areas: the RD&I department, the FedLab (incubator of new ideas), the Customer Experience Centre and the Customer Academy (internal and external training).

ABB’s LMS has been purpose-built for paper testing labs, with automated lab reporting that is specifically tailored to workflow practices. This enables the operator to quickly and accurately complete measurements by sample or instrument and know which test is to be performed for every sample.

Data from the lab instruments is automatically aggregated and captured in the database, eliminating the risk of errors and significantly reducing data collection time. Results become immediately available to the user who can use the web-based application to view historic data, quality reports, product quality limits, trends, and key performance indicators (KPIs) in an intuitive dashboard.

An example of the latest Lab Management System dashboard (Photo: ABB)

“The Innovation Center aims to be the home of innovation for both our worlds of special papers for packaging and creative communication and premium self-adhesives,” said Marco Nespolo, CEO at Fedrigoni Group. “It will be a physical space where we can bring together the best talents, inside and outside Fedrigoni, and the most advanced technological solutions to develop projects, new products and applications that support our customers. ABB’s lab management system met all of our requirements and will be instrumental in helping us to roll out new developments more quickly in the future.”

“We are pleased to support Fedrigoni’s commitment to paper and self-adhesives quality and digital innovation and be a part of its RD&I facility in Italy, which will be key to its expansion plans,” said Erik Teunissen, Regional Sales Manager, ABB Italy. “ABB’s new, modern LMS will help increase Fedrigoni’s productivity and efficiency by streamlining workflows, reducing time and risk of manual errors, and expediting the overall quality testing process for product development.”

Part of ABB Ability™, the LMS is scalable and can connect different benchtop lab testing instruments, as well as automated paper testing systems such as the L&W Autoline, into one database and interface. This installation will connect Fedrigoni’s 10 different L&W instruments – ABB’s L&W Bending Tester, L&W Bendtsen Tester, L&W Air Permeance Tester, L&W Tearing Tester, L&W Tensile Tester, L&W Micrometer, L&W Bursting Strength Tester, L&W OptiTopo, L&W TSO Tester and L&W Fiber Tester as well as third-party instruments – directly to the LMS which then is accessed via a web-browser.

About ABB’s Process Automation 
ABB’s Process Automation business automates, electrifies and digitalizes industrial operations that address a wide range of essential needs – from supplying energy, water and materials, to producing goods and transporting them to market. With its ~20,000 employees, leading technology and service expertise, ABB Process Automation helps customers in process, hybrid and maritime industries improve performance and safety of operations, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. go.abb/processautomation