SCM has illustrated its technological and digital innovations in a completely new and multimedia fashion, by placing all its attention on the client’s new production and business needs in terms of services, digitalisation and sustainability.
Behind every SCM machine or system for wood machining lies the know-how of a team of experts focusing constantly on the industry’s future to provide products and services that satisfy clients’ real needs. This is the philosophy behind the Italian group’s research and development work and is the same message that has accompanied SCM’s participation at Xylexpo 2024.
The numerous visitors who have gathered at the group’s stand have been able to enjoy a unique experience, discovering a wide range of technological and digital innovations in a fully multi-media fashion. SCM has “broken with tradition” by turning up at a trade fair for the first time ever with no machines: a choice in line with the group’s focus on sustainability and environmental impact. This demonstrates its ability to lead even in how it communicates with the market and mainly stems from a precise vision, increasingly focused on everything “beyond the machine” to fully support clients with their business needs.
Pietro Gheller, SCM Wood Division’s Director pointed this out at a press conference organised at the stand. “The numerous innovations presented at Xylexpo demonstrate SCM’s ability to develop a longstanding, continuous and shared relationship with clients, and to support their needs not only throughout the entire life cycle of a machine, but for the whole duration of its entrepreneurial activity,” he says. “This is possible not only thanks to technology – which is still the core of the group’s experience – but by offering an ecosystem of software, services, skills and experience with a very high added value.”
In line with this vision, increasingly focused on service, SCM has presented a vast programme of innovations strongly centred around new market demands in terms of digitalisation and sustainability, and on new Industry 5.0 scenarios.
The stand had a series of corners around its perimeter complete with screens providing a detailed description of the width and depth of the range of technological solutions which SCM is capable of offering to meet every specific production process in the sector.
Also on show at the stand was an area for clients’ finished products to get hands-on experience of the result achieved, from a quality and finishing point of view, thanks to the group’s machines and systems.
Focus has shifted away from the client’s product and towards their needs in terms of support, control advice and productivity: the new WIN MES software has been presented on this occasion to deal with the factory’s IT flow.
Lastly, at the heart of the stand, visitors to Xylexpo were able to explore SCM’s new, fully operational Digital Control Room which digitally interprets the group’s values: the relationship with the client (“you will never work alone”) via the proactive service enabled by the Maestro connect IoT system and sustainability. Sustainability towards the environment via new energy monitoring functions, sustainability of operations via the predictive maintenance and business sustainability guaranteed by the increase in productivity and the Service Bundle packages. Lastly, but equally important, the concept of sustainability towards people which takes the form of sharing technical knowledge and continuous training.
Another key objective in SCM’s vision is to supply automated, integrated and complete processes for the entire woodworking sector. State-of-the-art multimedia and immersive tools have projected visitors into the heart of SCM’s limitless product offer. Innovations for every field of application have been illustrated – furniture and kitchens, windows, doors, flooring, timber construction, surface treatment, joinery and boats and caravans – with the integration of CMS solutions, another of the group’s brands specialising in technologies for machining other materials such as glass, marble, metal, plastic and composite materials.
There has been no shortage of live linkups with SCM’s Technology Centres in Italy to illustrate the new flexible industrial cells for beam saw, nesting, edgebanding and drilling, integrated with automatic storages and articulated robots, just like the integrated solutions for sanding and finishing to machine cabinet doors, windows and doors, and parquet.
“The new entries show how innovation remains key to SCM’s strategy,” adds Pietro. “The group continues to invest 7% of its turnover each year in research and development and in 2023, it was among the top ten Italian companies filing patent requests, according to Epo Patent Index data issued by the European Office of Patents.
“R&D investments at the Wood Division will always be increasingly focused on the machining stages which are more determinant on the quality of the end product, like edgebanding, CNC machining centres and the entire process for surface treatment where SCM, together with Superfici can provide a selection of complete and integrated solutions.”
On the subject of which, Xylexpo has also been an opportunity to inaugurate the new Scm-Superfici Technology Center in nearby Villasanta, in the heart of Brianza. These 2,000 m2 were used to organise tangible demonstrations on a wide range of products and services: not just the Superfici solutions for finishing but also for a wide range of other technologies belonging to the group to complete the production processes of furniture, doors and windows, construction and joinery work.
Some of the other new entries at Xylexpo include the new software Maestro Lab (CNC machining centre and drilling machines) for CAD/CAM programming both from the office and from the machine, Maestro active beam&wall (CNC machining centres for timber construction), the optimiser for Maestro optiwise and Maestro stackwise panel saws for stacking pieces during the bespoke cutting process, as well as Maestro edgestore manager (edgebanding) to centrally manage the edges.
The technological innovations present include:
Cargo, a patented loading and unloading system which can be integrated into cnc morbidelli m200 and accord 500/600 machining centres to machine panels and doors. New version of windorflex, an automatic cell to create complete windows and doors, nowadays with two loading devices and a front-loading bench. New gabbiani p95 and gabbiani pt95 panel saws designed for both batch 1 production and the production line. New stefani m, industrial edgebanding with a highly competitive investment, with advanced technological solutions for excellent automatic set up and design levels every time. New dmc system with laser unit to create sophisticated finishes and three-dimensional scorings on parquet, wooden pieces and panels. The new multifunction roller unit available on the dmc sd 90 sanding and calibrating machines to switch from calibrating to sanding unfinished, veneered and painted solid wood panels in a matter of minutes. For the finishing, state-of-the-art UV processes and UV LED polymerisation systems with Superfici patented system for the finish and solutions for robotic sprayer to machine both the panel and windows and doors. For timber construction: the highly versatile oikos xs, CNC machining centre for timber construction, for fast, accurate joinery machining, and dmc system xl, automatic sanding-calibrating machines for CLT walls. For squaring and profiling, new double celaschi p60 squaring machine with “a step” advancement and CNC machining on solid wood panels; a machine that takes the concept of profiling to a new level.In the case of machines for joinery work, the spotlights are turned on “blade off”, an innovative SCM safety system solution which serves the purpose of limiting the intrinsic danger of using a circular saw, as much as possible, without putting limitations on the operator’s work and creativity.