FabGRADE: energy optimization, sustainability, and technology for product Innovation and capacity growth

The FAB company has undertaken, starting from 1° July 2023 and for a duration of 36 months, an ambitious investment program called “fabGRADE: energy optimization, sustainability and technology for product innovation and production capacity growth“, which includes the following lines of intervention:

A.2 – Extension of an existing production unit. The new FAB11 facility will be approximately 10,000 m2 intended to house new production lines.
C – Implementation of 3 industrial research/experimental development projects:
Reengineering the kitchen countertop (RE.P:LI.CA). The goal is to structurally redesign the composition of the kitchen countertop, using a new technology called alveolar. This would lead to a number of benefits, including direct savings in material costs and product cost development; total savings in logistics costs; reduced costs for handling damage and improved customer experience; and increased environmental sustainability of the product through savings in CO2 emissions.
Immersive navigation for maintenance (NIMA). The goal is to equip maintenance workers with wearable augmented reality devices, so they can access, hands-free, information on the correct execution of tasks (augmented operators) and, thanks to egocentric vision systems, allow them to build a photographic bundle of the critical operations to be performed and automate quality system checklists.
Blockchain for FAB Product Traceability (BperTrack), which aims to develop a blockchain system based on the transparency, traceability, and quality of FAB products. E – Energy – environmental intervention and innovation which includes the following objectives:
Reduction of emissions through the construction of a photovoltaic system;
Improved energy efficiency through waste recycling and reuse.
Through the fabGrade investment program, and in particular with the expansion of the FAB9 plant and the creation of the FAB11 plant, the company aims to increase production and its level of internationalization. The objectives therefore have a dual nature:

The inclusion in markets not yet present by the company and the increase/strengthening of those in which it is already present today.
The increase in productivity, production volumes and production flexibilities of the company also through the rationalization and simplification of the main production process.
Through the establishment of a new production plant and the implementation of the additional lines of intervention, FAB envisages the realization of a major increase in employment, by the end of the programme.

Against an investment with a total value of €24,118,052.53, a contribution of €1,475791.27 was granted to FAB. The investment program is part of the call for proposals “Regional Investment and Innovation Agreements”, implementing Article 2 of Regional Law 4/2022, approved by Decree of the Director of the Industry, Crafts, and Credit sector of the Marche Region. A Regional Investment and Innovation Agreement, aimed at implementing the Investment Program, was then signed between FAB and the Marche Region on November 15, 2023.