It is often said that the pandemic has accelerated the processes of digital transformation, and that there are clear differences between the old and the new normal. A concrete example, in Dompé farmaceutici, is a new ambitious project for augmented reality, which is not limited to a mere application of the technology in the company but that aims to create a flexible and expandable platform. An initiative that looks to the future of maintenance, training and machine management, so high-performing that it also deserved a place on the podium at the Eugenio Aringhieri 2021 Award.

The factor that pushed this innovation is - as you can easily imagine - Covid-19, with all the restrictions and health prevention measures it has brought with it. On one hand, there were international suppliers temporarily blocked in serving Italy and on the other hand the impossibility of having specialized personnel residing elsewhere needed in the production departments. So, there was a need to transfer skills as efficiently as possible to those who were on site. Thus, at the Dompé production site in L’Aquila, within the engineering department, the idea was born of developing a solution that would enable remote assistance. Augmented reality, already employed in many sectors from entertainment to services and industry, immediately seemed the most appropriate answer. The project started from a team led by chief engineer Antonello Babbore, and composed of Paola Maron Pot, Engineering Process Validation & Automation Senior Manager, Juri Brentan, Asset Care Senior Manager, and Ettore Fasci, Investment Execution Senior Manager.

Of course, it is not a question of replacing personnel with technology, but of enabling human resources remotely to assert their know-how, sharing the vision with people on the site in real time. And at the same time, those who are present in the company are enabled to operate not only in synchronous mode with those who are physically distant, but also with flexibility regardless of the time slot, thus increasing the operating margin. With the additional possibility of creating a repository of information, specifications, knowledge and documents that the operator, thanks to the experience of augmented reality, can consult while carrying out his / her business.

What makes Dompé's augmented reality different is that it is homemade. Unlike the more common approach, in which an augmented reality service is purchased from a manufacturer as an optional along with a new machine, the company's choice is to bring technology and expertise directly in-house, developing a proprietary platform in order to be autonomous in the management of technology. This creates not only a set of specific contents for the needs of machinery, but also with significant savings in the medium and long term.

Among the areas of application of augmented reality, in addition to maintenance, there are also staff training (who can be trained in front of a production line in real time), the f training in case there is an alarm, courses for worker safety, risk mitigation, quality control and orientationof new hires who can be guided within a production site that is new to them with information on where to go, on the dangers, on what to do and what not.

To date, the augmented reality is a well developed technology already tested by the supplier of filler machine installed on a production line in Dompé. The starting point is pilot project to be completed as early as 2021. From there the aim is to launch a multi-year program of application and extension of technology to a multitude of machines, production lines and laboratories. "We look at things with different eyes and seize the opportunities to face the challenges" is the mantra of the team working on the development of the project. It’s how they think back about how the obstacles by the pandemic have given the opportunity to improve what was done in the past, thus laying the foundations for progress that - in the years to come - will bring direct and tangible benefits to many areas of the company.