DECO INDUSTRIE

DECO Industrie chooses VEM sistemi to carry out the Digital Transformation of its production processes
The development of a modern factory network, placing technology at the service of production and safety, is at the core of this transformation — supported by a custom-built APP designed to simply manage and monitor the new network architecture.

VEM sistemi announces that DECO Industrie, a company that designs, manufactures, and packages household detergents and baked goods, has entrusted the Forlì-based system integrator with managing the digital transformation of its operations. This includes building a modern factory network that leverages technology to enhance both production and safety.

The Company
Founded in 1951 in the detergent sector, Deco Industrie entered the food industry in 1995 with the acquisition of Cofar in Ravenna, followed by Piadina Loriana in Forlì (1999) and Italiana Biscotti in Ferrara (2013). In 2003, it acquired Scala Detersivi, and in 2015, the acquisition of Packaging Imolese created a major player in the detergents sector and opened the door to cosmetics.

DECO Industrie is a diversified company with over 500 employees and 5 production plants, distributing across Italy and pursuing an industrial growth plan aimed at international expansion.

IT – OT Landscape
In Italy, awareness is growing about how interconnecting and sharing the enormous volume of factory-generated data can be a winning strategy.

However, the separation between IT and OT worlds remains common due to the different technologies and skillsets involved.

“Continuing to operate separately not only slows the adoption of technologies outside OT’s comfort zone but also exposes companies to the risk of losing control over their management systems, which can severely impact production in the event of failure or digital security issues within the Industrial Control System (ICS),” says Marco Bubani, Innovation Director at VEM sistemi.
He adds: “Digitalization is a cultural meeting point between operations and IT. Technology alone isn’t enough to seize the opportunities of Industry 4.0. It’s essential to integrate these two domains, which are powerful independently but even more so when combined through ongoing dialogue between machines and people, making even complex technologies intuitive and easy to use.”

The Challenge
To seize the opportunities offered by digital industry technologies, DECO had begun digitizing its production processes by acquiring new machinery ready to be connected. However, it lacked a suitable factory network to support this shift.

“Now that the technology allows it, we couldn’t miss the chance to make our machines capable not only of producing but also of communicating — providing us with data to improve quality, efficiency, and safety, both for our systems and the people who work with them,” explains Antonio Campri, President of DECO.
“But our existing factory network wasn’t equipped for this evolution, so we needed a qualified technical partner to guide us toward this new paradigm.”

A well-designed factory network is essential for managing the increasing volume of data generated during production — data that must be transformed into business intelligence. Aware of this major technological shift, DECO turned to VEM sistemi to design a tailor-made infrastructure: one that would be robust and secure for production plants yet easy to manage and geared toward optimizing production.

The Solution
In collaboration with Cisco, VEM sistemi built a network infrastructure aligned with industry best practices and compliant with IEC62443 standards.

Key aspects of VEM’s implementation include:

Network segmentation by production line: each line connects only to the resources required for its specific phase.

IT/OT network separation: information is exchanged via a “demilitarized zone.”

Authentication and role assignment, both physical and logical.

Remote access for maintenance teams.

To simplify network monitoring and management for operators, VEM developed a web application called FACTORII, which interfaces via API with factory devices. The app allows control over the network architecture, manages access to ports in various cabinets, and supports autonomous remote maintenance. It simplifies interaction with a complex architecture, enabling operators to independently configure certain ICS security features.

The app also provides real-time visibility into devices attempting to access the factory network. With a simple and intuitive interface, operators can approve or deny access and view active remote connections to automation systems — enabling or disabling them as needed. It also allows segmentation of the network, isolating specific portions to increase cybersecurity.

As a result, ICS system managers retain full control and visibility over the entire digital backbone of the factory, while FACTORII’s intuitive interface requires minimal reskilling for operator adoption.

Benefits
The digitalization of the factory enables DECO to significantly enhance cybersecurity, reduce physical risks to staff via improved access and communication control, and optimize production — a core objective for the company. This boost in efficiency will help lower costs and provide a competitive advantage.

Cisco Software and Hardware Used:
Cisco ISE (Identity Services Engine): for access control and authentication, including role-based access to the factory network and both physical and logical security.

Cisco ISA: industrial firewall.

Industrial Network Director: software designed to give operations teams full visibility of the network and connected devices.