Smart ceramic production

An industrial research and experimental development project that has created a digital ceramic factory capable of adapting in real time to the characteristics of incoming materials and pursuing the goal of zero defects.

FUNDING

Ministry of Economic Development – Sustainable Growth Fund (Ministerial Decree of July 24, 2015)

PROJECT CODE

F/070011/00/X34

DURATION

November 2017 - November 2021

THE CONTEXT

The challenge of ceramic excellence

When the project began, the Italian ceramic industry was internationally recognized for its excellence: over 85% of production was destined for export, average prices were significantly higher than those of its main European and Asian competitors, and its positioning was based on quality, technological innovation, and the ability to respond to the needs of contemporary architecture.

However, this competitive advantage was offset by a number of structural issues. The high variability of raw materials led to product non-conformities that were considered normal in the sector (2÷3% of production), resulting in waste of materials, energy, and natural resources, as well as the production of special waste.

A case in point was water: despite being a key raw material in the ceramic process, it was not subject to integrated quality control. In particular, the reuse of industrial water, if not managed correctly, could increase non-conformities, altering the behavior of materials and reactions during firing.

Added to these critical issues was a predominantly reactive control model, based on interventions downstream of the process, when the product was already finished and the defect was already apparent. This approach limited the capacity for prevention and led to delays and production inefficiencies.

Finally, the progressive standardization of the product along the ceramic district supply chain had reduced the possibilities for differentiation, increasing the risk of competition based mainly on price.

A new approach was needed, one capable of overcoming the logic of reactive control and building a production system that was intrinsically more robust, efficient, and sustainable.

85% of total production exported

2÷3% of process non-conformities

High dependency on critical raw materials and energy

Reactive quality control model

THE PROJECT

Reversing the paradigm of ceramic production

The POLARIS project was created to reverse the paradigm of traditional ceramic production. The goal was to create an advanced, adaptive, and intelligent manufacturing system capable of transforming the way tiles are produced: no longer a process that must be made robust, with waste distributed throughout the production cycle, but a production system capable of accommodating the variability of incoming materials and transforming it into a resource.

The project developed along three fundamental dimensions.

01

Process intelligence

Through the implementation of IoT technologies and Business Intelligence systems, a computing system was created capable of rapidly processing large amounts of data relating to technological compliance, environmental sustainability, and the economic performance of the company.

02

Predictive capability

The evolution of data analytics systems from an “ex-post” perspective, based on historical data, to an “ex-ante” perspective, in which data is collected and processed in real time to provide impact estimates and guide operational decisions before non-compliance occurs.

03

Product innovation

Prototyping of new ceramic mixture formulations optimized for rapid firing cycles, resulting in reduced energy consumption, emissions, and dependence on critical raw materials.

The approach adopted was systemic and integrated. Rather than intervening on individual elements, POLARIS built a model in which process digitization, multi-criteria decision-making models, and material innovation reinforced each other, generating an impact greater than the sum of the individual actions.

THE PROCESS

Four years of research and development

The project was developed over a four-year period divided into complementary phases, each building on the results of the previous ones and aimed at generating knowledge, tools, and concrete solutions.

PHASE 1
Analysis

Mapping the production process

The work began with an in-depth analysis of the ceramic cycle, mapping the production phases using various tools: flowcharts to describe the path of materials, data flow diagrams to highlight data exchange, role activity diagrams to analyze organizational interactions, and IDEF models to integrate the various dimensions into a unified view of the process.

The mapping revealed a key structural feature: the factory operated according to two distinct logics that required coordination.

The first, from the receipt of raw materials to the storage of atomized material, was oriented towards warehouse and inventory management.
The second, from pressing to the finished product, was customer-oriented and organized according to commercial needs.

PHASE 2
Development

Digital infrastructure and product innovation

Based on the mapping, a digital platform for process data management was designed and implemented. The system integrated SAP and business analytics tools, creating a data warehouse that brought together technological, environmental, and economic information from diverse sources.

At the same time, the project addressed product innovation. New ceramic mixture formulations designed for significantly faster firing cycles were developed and tested. One of the solutions was validated in an industrial environment, demonstrating compatibility with cycles reduced by 35÷40% compared to the standard.

PHASE 3
Evaluation

Impact and sustainability analysis

The final phase integrated the results into a coherent evaluation system. A comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment was conducted, quantifying the environmental impact of the new formulation compared to traditional production.

The monitoring system developed allowed real-time tracking of operating parameters and correlation of production choices with environmental impacts, supporting more informed and sustainability-oriented decisions.

THE RESULTS

Concrete innovation for the ceramic industry

POLARIS has produced concrete, integrated results that enable the evolution of ceramic production towards more efficient, sustainable, and resilient models, responding to the main critical issues in the sector.

35÷40%

reduction in firing cycle time

25%

reduction of CO₂ emissions in the firing phase

Predictive

real-time process control system

Integrated

decision-making model for quality, costs and impacts

Intelligent process control

A multi-criteria decision-making system has been developed that integrates technological, economic, and environmental data.

The system processes information from factory sensors and company systems in real time, providing preventive operational guidance and allowing intervention in the process before non-conformities occur.

Product innovation

The project led to the validation of a new ceramic mixture formulation, compatible with existing plants and designed for significantly faster firing cycles.

The composition developed reduces the use of critical imported raw materials, strengthening supply stability.

Energy efficiency

Reducing firing times allows for a reduction in methane consumption of between 35% and 40%.

This result represents one of the main factors in improving the energy efficiency of the production process.

Environmental performance

The analyses conducted show a reduction in CO₂ emissions of approximately 25% and a reduction in overall environmental impact of approximately 30% during the firing phase.

The results are consistent with the objectives of decarbonization and transition to more sustainable production models.

Assessment and decision support

The project integrated advanced Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools and predictive analyses, used to quantitatively correlate production choices and environmental impacts.

The system developed is a benchmark for continuous monitoring and communication of sustainability performance.

Economic and competitive impact

The structural reduction in energy consumption mitigates exposure to energy price volatility.

Economic simulations indicate that the industrial cost structure can remain stable even in scenarios of sharp increases in energy prices, improving overall competitiveness.

In light of the results obtained, plans were made to gradually replace the production mixture and adopt the new firing cycle in all of the group's factories, with the aim of rolling it out on an industrial scale.

COLLABORATIONS

An ecosystem of expertise

POLARIS brought together an ecosystem of complementary expertise, integrating industrial capabilities and academic know-how in an impact-oriented collaboration model.

Gruppo Ceramiche Gresmalt

Ceramic company with over fifty years of experience in the production of ceramic tiles for floors and walls. It has made available factories, production lines, laboratories, and technological expertise for the development, testing, and validation of the project solutions.

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Contributed expertise in material characterization, the study of sintering processes, and environmental impact assessment using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology.

University of Pavia

Contributed expertise in the microstructural characterization of materials and the study of sintering mechanisms, supporting the design of new mixture formulations.

THE IMPACT

Excellence, sustainability, resilience

POLARIS has demonstrated that the transition to more efficient, sustainable, and resilient ceramic production is not only possible but also economically advantageous and technically feasible with the skills and technologies available today.

The adaptive and intelligent system developed offers a concrete response to the challenges facing the sector: it transforms the variability of raw materials from a problem into a manageable resource, reduces waste and energy consumption, decreases dependence on volatile external factors, generates information for more informed decisions, and lays the foundations for transparent communication of environmental performance.

In a context where sustainability is increasingly a market requirement and a regulatory imperative, and where the volatility of energy costs jeopardizes the competitiveness of businesses, POLARIS charts a viable path for combining production excellence, environmental responsibility, and economic resilience.

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