Sharing Experiences to Grow

April 28, 2016
Awards & Recognition, Ali Group

Innovation and best practices at the core of the latest Ali Manufacturing Summit

The Ali Manufacturing Summit, held the 5th and 6th of April and organized by Roberto Ragazzoni, operations director of Ali Group, shared best practices of Lean Manufacturing with the objective of continuous improvement (Kaizen).
The meeting involved all the most important production managers of the European companies of the Group.
The Summit was held at Burlodge Italia and Scotsman Ice, the two companies of the Group who shared their projects for continuous improvement of the Supply Chain with the other Ali participants.

Throughout the two days were a series of visits to the manufacturing sites and talks, which included Oscar Imazio (Chief Operating Officer Ali Cooking and Refrigeration Division), Patrick Klein (Plant Manager of Bongard) and Andrea Occari (Supply Chain and Production Manager of Carpigiani).
The participants exchanged views and experience about the most innovative techniques of production management and Supply Chain as well as project management and continuous improvement. At the conclusion of the two days, Roberto Ragazzoni presented interesting points about the so-called “fourth industrial revolution”.

“Today we are experiencing a new industrial revolution, the fourth. The revolution of connectivity, the internet of things, of the smart factory and of Big Data in clouds to share relevant information about products and processes,” comments Ragazzoni.
“It is an extremely important change that brings with it interesting opportunities, not only for the development of new products, but also for production systems thanks to the use of new technology. We do not know where it will lead. It is the first industrial revolution that is being spoken of while it is happening rather than afterwards.”

“I am very satisfied with this summit and I am also getting positive feedback from the participating companies. We started in 2012 with the Lean Manufacturing project, initially with a series of meetings for groups of companies that were geographically and culturally close to each other. Today, in all the European companies of the Group, Kaizen projects are underway, that is to say, projects for improvements of efficiency, flexibility and quality in the production system. Operations improvements are an integral part of the Group’s strategy. Thanks to the informal atmosphere typical of our meetings, each participant is free to express themselves, share with others not only their successes but also their negative experiences, from which there is really so much we can learn!” concludes Ragazzoni.

woman reaching into commercial beverage-air fridge.

We Are Where You Are

Wherever you go in the world, Ali Group is there with you, to help you provide the best foodservice solutions for your customers.

Get in Touch