1. Continuous development
In Italy, the quality of a coffee shop is largely determined by the quality of the espresso. It is no coincidence that coffee shops were once called caffè. Italy is the home of espresso, and it has spread around the world from there in recent years, recording consistent double-digit growth rates. It has become increasingly popular in the United States and China. Coffee drives the entire supply chain because, for a good espresso, you not only need an excellent blend, but also the right equipment, techniques and processes. Equipment like a coffee grinder may be very simple, but it still has to be well designed and built.
Fiorenzato M.C. Srl (Fiorenzato) was founded in 1936 by Pietro Fiorenzato and produces coffee grinders and grinder dosing machines. The company is currently managed by the third generation of the Fiorenzato family.
Manuel Oddera, purchasing manager and Pietro's nephew, said the company has been growing steadily for nearly 80 years. Although the first grinders dating back to 1936 were powered by electricity, these very heavy machines were made of cast iron in a factory with nearly 300 employees, producing about 300 pieces per month.
“Global demand for espresso is literally skyrocketing,” Oddera said. Fiorenzato reached its all-time business peak in 2014 with unprecedented volumes. We increased our turnover from 6.3 million euros in 2013 to 8.5 million euros in 2014, and in the first two months of 2015 we increased it by another 20%.
The main feature of a coffee grinder is durability. For this reason, Fiorenzato builds powerful machines using only high-end components (especially inverters). The company, based in Peraga di Vigonza, near Padua, is famous for its electronic grinder dosing machines, which dispense precise amounts of coffee powder in just one second at a time.
Starting from 2D design like most manufacturers, Fiorenzato recognized the need for new tools in the early 2000s. However, electronics required a different approach to 2D drawings. First, the company decided to develop new designs internally without turning to external partners, completely conceptualizing and developing the machines in 3D. Second, they needed to cut design cycle times and eliminate the errors and limitations typical of 2D. “With 3D, we can see any defects in detail, identifying fit issues and interference,” says Lissandron.
2. Integrating design and processing
After testing several 3D computer-aided design (CAD) packages, Fiorenzato's engineering department turned to NX™ software. Fiorenzato's engineering department used NX™ software. Another important reason the company uses NX is its full compatibility with Apple's Mac® OS X® operating system software, available from Fiorenzato.
“With the speed of NX and the many options for drafting and drawing configurations, we estimate that we have reduced total product development cycle time by at least 50 percent,” Oddera said. “Using NX also increases the ability to reuse some parts for our coffee grinders, 50% of which are molded products that require expensive molds.”
