At ITMA 2023, the world’s main exhibition for textile machinery industry, weaving solutions manufacturer Itema Group unveiled a preview of its plans to launch an innovative as-a-service solution, developed in partnership with SECO. Aimed at introducing a set of value-added services, these will be based on artificial intelligence (AI) and dedicated to the textile industry.

In a highly competitive and high-tech sector, improving machine efficiency represents an important advantage for all the players across the value chain. In this perspective, the end-to-end solution imagined by Itema is designed to provide users with real-time suggestions on the optimal machine set-upSource: Itema Group and SECO parameters: a substantial innovation compared to the solutions currently available on the market, mainly based on remote monitoring of the devices’ operational status.

Itemalab, the Itema Group company specialized in products and processes innovation, will develop innovative sensing systems and advanced interconnection protocols of the weaving machine. The aim is to extract functional parameters extensively and accurately from the Itema weaving machines, so that it will be possible to compare the real machine with its digital reference model elaborated from industry best practices in terms of machinery setting.

SECO will contribute to this development with its internet of things, data orchestration and AI expertise: in fact, through the CLEA platform it will be possible to perform advanced inference activities to identify correlations between several data categories. By adopting adequate cybersecurity protocols, this information will be used to feed virtual models (digital twins) specifically developed to reproduce the optimal setting and behavior of the physical devices. This will enable return of insights on the machines’ functioning and, by means of dedicated AI algorithms, provide both user customers and Itema designers with valuable suggestions on improvement actions to be undertaken.

In this way, Itema’s customers will be able to increase the productivity and performance of their machines, enhancing the operators’ user experience and simplifying the management of highly complex equipment from a mechanical, electronic and operational point of view. At the same time, it will be possible to plan and optimize maintenance interventions by specialized technical personnel, as well as develop solutions meeting the strictest performance expectations from customers.