CASE HISTORY GSI Ceramica

From the Italian Made to the future in sanitaryware 4.0 production

GSI Ceramica is one of the main leaders in the Italian and international ceramic industry. This is an innovative company and a benchmark for the bathroom furnishing industry. Its activity goes back to the origins of the manufacturing tradition of the Italian sanitaryware district. Over time, the Company has succeeded in meeting the challenges of the market: today’s ones are health, environment, automation.

PIONEERS

OF THE ITALIAN DISTRICT AND IN THE WORLD

As early as 2003, GSI installed the first SACMI solutions for robot pressure casting of WC bowls, a new-generation solution that allows the best casting quality and repeatability, zero rejects and manual handling, and the possibility of total part tracking, with the automation of downstream stages (finishing, glazing, firing).

"Earth and water are the elements that, dosed and mixed with expert skill, have always coexisted harmoniously in the form of manufactured goods. Ceramics have been produced here in our area for thousands of years: with earth and water, sealed by fire"

It is precisely on this tradition that the last 20 years of the company's history have been built, with investments made as early as the early 2000s gaining new momentum as of 2011, when the new-generation of AVM SACMI casting machine, the world benchmark for robot WC bowl casting, joined GSI.

AUTOMATION, ZERO WASTE, BETTER QUALITY

Sanitaryware production is a delicate process in terms of the quantity and type of steps the article must undergo in order to achieve the best quality, strength and aesthetics of the finished piece. For example, one of the SACMI innovations introduced at the same time as the first AVM is the integration of the casting cell with the pre-dryer. Reducing the residual moisture in the part quickly and uniformly - without risk and with considerable savings on storage costs in dedicated curing rooms - is one of the advantages of this system, chosen by GSI from the outset and now a reference in the most advanced parts of the world market.
There is an additional advance in casting automation - including storage on wagons - that is reducing the handling of the article to what is strictly necessary, avoiding tiring and repetitive operations to the operators, which are risky to their health and, not least, even more risky for raw articles for deformation and breakage.

ROBOTGLAZE, A FURTHER STEP TOWARDS SANITARYWARE 4.0

Glazing automation was the next step chosen by GSI to implement a true 4.0 revolution in the factory's approach to sanitaryware production.
Supplied by SACMI under the Gaiotto brand, a world reference in industrial automation, glazing robots also feature a dual advantage. Firstly, the possibility of optimising the amount of raw material used (the glaze) by fully recovering the overspray. Secondly, preventing the operator from getting in contact with the very health-threatening dust that is typically generated during glazing and finishing.
But that is not all: again, it is the entire handling of the part that is simplified thanks to the robot, greatly improving logistics

ROBOTCASTING, EXTENDED RANGE SOLUTIONS

From WC bowls to washbasins and consoles, over the years GSI has integrated automated solutions for the production of large washbasins and consoles, alongside the various ADMs already in operation for WC bowl casting. What makes the difference here, in line with a broad and well-established market trend, is the maximum versatility of use and in particular the possibility of rapid format change. Here again, the solution is characterised by zeroing of manual operations - from production to handling. At the end, an automatic finishing station for the cast part is provided before loading onto a wagon. So Gruppo Sanitari Italia is looking ahead to the 2020s with the purchase of further solutions, bringing to 12 the number of automated casting machines installed and supplied by its partner SACMI, including the aforementioned AVM, ADM, ADS and AVI, as well as the complete automation of the handling and glazing line.

Back to the future

A symbol of Italian creativity and quality, in recent years GSI has accelerated on all fronts, from robot glazing – no less than three glazing robots and four handling robots were installed in early 2022 - to the decision to merge all new solutions with the existing factory data management system.
This is the other side of automation: the possibility of obtaining a constant, real-time flow of data from the process, proactively and preventively taking action to improve it. A further revolution that also involved ‘services’, such as automated glaze tank refilling, with automatic control of all humidity and temperature parameters.

Also at the centre of 2022 investments will be the expansion of the shower tray line for the production of thicker items up to 3 cm, with robot-controlled picking, to safeguard quality as well as to avoid, again, tiring manual operations to operators. The last act in a story that is still largely to be written is the further expansion of the casting plant (two new AVMs installed) equipped with handling robots with green finishing tools for the piece and subsequent automatic loading onto wagons and unloading at the glazing lines. Among the results achieved is also the total tracking of production, from order management to the time-quantity of items passed through the various stages, to the automatic management of alarms.

2025 saw the installation and start-up of a second SACMI-Riedhammer HWS REKO shuttle kiln, completing the strategic growth plan that has resulted in a steady increase in volumes and market acknowledgement of GSI product quality. This high-efficiency solution is hydrogen-ready, in line with the factory's vision for a clean, sustainable production plant that is environment-friendly and attentive to working conditions.

Technology, quality and vision, Made in Italy GSI doubles output capacity with the SACMI REKO kiln

Bringing Italian quality and excellence to the world, with the best available technology and a vision of the future that’s fueled by passion and innovation: this is the strategy deployed by leading Italian sanitaryware manufacturer, GSI. The company is now completing its most ambitious investment plan of recent years with the installation of a second SACMI REKO HWS kiln at its facility in Gallese (Vt). Roberto Ceccarelli, Plant Manager at GSI Ceramica, explains.

Dr. Ceccarelli, is the new kiln the culmination of a broader strategy?
Definitely. Installing a new kiln means you have in-demand products to fire. It’s a clear indicator that the market appreciates our products and, at the same time, demonstrates that every stage of the industrial process is working smoothly.

SACMI has been your main industrial partner for many years now.
We’re talking about a long-term strategy that began more than 20 years ago with the installation of the first high-pressure casting solutions. At the time, we were among the few - perhaps the only ones - in the district to have invested so decisively this way. At present, 94% of our products are manufactured using high-pressure techniques. We have autonomous production lines that are controlled exclusively by robotic systems. Above all, we’ve drastically increased process quality and repeatability. The outcome: better products in every respect from a more efficient factory, and the market knows it.
Being able to count on a partner like SACMI has been crucial to the success of this strategy. Ours is not just an industrial partnership: it’s teamwork based on shared values, passion, practicality and trust in Italian manufacturing excellence. At every key moment, SACMI has been there for us. For example, fire destroyed our factory in 2022, yet we were - together - able to turn this into an opportunity to start over, to become stronger than before by launching the largest, most ambitious investment plan in our history.

Has automation hindered employment in your factory?
In GSI's experience, quite the opposite has been true. What we have eliminated, in keeping with the wishes of our president, the late Mario Rossi, is toil and repetitive manual tasks. Now, workers are ‘technologists’ who monitor the work done by machines and robots. We believe in people. Today, our factory is our best showroom. And we have no intention of stopping here. Now, we’re laying the groundwork for the automation of all internal logistics and data flows, a path we aim to take in the future.

Let's return to the kiln. Why this specific model?
This kiln - a ‘twin sister’ to the HWS REKO already in operation - delivers user-friendliness, excellent firing quality, low consumption and low emissions. In light of our production expansion plan and our policy of respecting the environment, the choice was a natural one.

What does it mean to have ‘a vision of the future’ in industry?
Making bold forward-looking decisions means you’re ready for the challenge of change before others are. An ability to envision the future, adapt to transformations and respond to difficulties are the hallmarks of Italian business. We’re convinced that this ability, when combined with the best available technology, gives ‘Made in Italy’ solutions a real edge over competitors, even the world’s biggest industrial groups.

For example?
We mentioned our investment in the first high-pressure robotic casting lines: these were in place in 2003, when the technology was still seen as a huge departure from traditional production processes. And complete automation of glazing soon followed.
Our high-pressure casting lines allow us to change molds in just a few hours: with traditional systems, it used to take days. With robotic glazing, we can manage same-color products with different batches for each color, always with the utmost reliability and efficiency. In other words, bold choices have rewarded us with today's achievements... and are preparing us for tomorrow's.
To illustrate, for this latest SACMI kiln we’ve selected the new self-recovery hydrogen-ready burners. It doesn't matter if hydrogen is not yet available or if the infrastructure is not yet ready: we know the world is heading in this direction and that we must make provisions for an ever-cleaner future that is mindful of resources and the planet.