// CUSTOMER
FIMIGroup Machinery
FIMIGroup (F.I.M.I. – Fabbrica Impianti Macchine Industriali S.p.A.) is a world-leading Italian company with over 60 years of experience, specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of complex machinery and plants for metal coil processing. The group’s Machinery division operates globally, serving leading steel producers and processors with technologically advanced solutions for processing steel, aluminium and non-ferrous alloys, ranging from cut-to-length and levelling lines to slitting and trimming lines.
CUSTOMER : FIMIGroup
INDUSTRY: Machinery
// BRIEF
Project Overview
Project
FIMIGroup entered into a strategic partnership with Shin Software to digitise its most innovative production systems using 3D digital twin technology. The project initially focused on the patented TDDS (Torque Dynamic Distribution System), an advanced technology for dynamically distributing torque across the rolls of spreading machines, and subsequently on the complete Slitting and Trimming line, including the scrap chopper. The goal was to overcome the limitations of traditional communication based on videos, photographs and 2D drawings by creating interactive experiences that would enable sales and technical teams to present complex plants in an engaging, easy-to-understand way.
The goal was to overcome the limitations of traditional communication based on videos, photographs and 2D drawings, creating interactive experiences that allowed sales and technical teams to present complex systems in an engaging and understandable way.
// DIGITAL TWIN 3D
Project Objectives
The project arose from the need to address several challenges in FIMIGroup Machinery’s technical and sales communication:
- Internal and sales training: providing sales teams with an effective tool to understand and present complex production lines to both existing customers and prospects, keeping technical and sales specialists consistently aligned.
- Overcoming the limitations of traditional videos: filming equipment directly was difficult because of protective barriers and safety alarms, and footage could not clearly show internal processes or the mechanical operation of components.
- Global communication: with customers located worldwide, from the Americas to Poland, it was not always possible to arrange visits to existing plants to demonstrate the technologies in operation.
- Visualising complex technologies: the TDDS system, based on hydraulic couplings that operate like continuously slipping clutches, required an educational representation with animations and “X-ray” views to explain oil flow and torque distribution across the rolls.
- Reducing trade show costs: cutting the logistical costs associated with transporting and setting up bulky machinery at industry trade shows such as Made in Steel and Lamiera.
// SOLUTION
Shin Software for
FIMIGroup Machinery
Shin Software developed interactive 3D digital twins using its proprietary SHOWin3D platform, creating complete, functional digital replicas of the TDDS systems and the Slitting and Trimming line. The solution stands apart from traditional video renderings through the following innovative features:
- Multi-angle interactivity: the ability to explore the plant from different angles in real time, allowing customers to view any specific detail on request, as though they were physically on the production floor.
- X-ray visualisation: advanced features showing the internal flow of oil within the TDDS system’s couplings, with animated icons and arrows rotating at different speeds to simulate the application of torque to the rolls and the material.
- Interactive hotspots: interfaces with clickable elements that highlight specific technical features, allowing users to interact with internal components with a single click.
- Reusability and scalability: the ability to reuse digital components to create representations of other plants, since the basic machine structure remains similar despite differences in the material being processed (steel ranging from 1 mm to 25 mm in thickness, aluminium and alloys).
- Cross-platform access: the 3D digital twins can be accessed on computers, tablets, smartphones and touchscreen displays, ensuring flexible use in any sales or trade show setting.
// 3D EXPERIENCE
Results and benefits
The implementation of 3D digital twins has delivered tangible, measurable benefits for FIMIGroup Machinery, fundamentally transforming its approach to technical and sales communication. Customers’ immediate understanding of the technologies has improved significantly: as noted during project discussions, “customers only need to see it once to immediately understand how it works”, substantially reducing the need for the lengthy verbal explanations and illustrative sketches that characterised traditional presentations. Prospect engagement has reached higher levels, as visitors experiencing the product digitally do not simply watch passively: they interact, explore and ask more specific questions, generating better-qualified leads and more commercially valuable conversations.
The implementation of 3D digital twins has delivered tangible, measurable benefits for FIMIGroup Machinery, fundamentally transforming its approach to technical and sales communication. Customers’ immediate understanding of the technologies has improved significantly: as noted during project discussions, “customers only need to see it once to immediately understand how it works”, substantially reducing the need for the lengthy verbal explanations and illustrative sketches that characterised traditional presentations. Prospect engagement has reached higher levels, as visitors experiencing the product digitally do not simply watch passively: they interact, explore and ask more specific questions, generating better-qualified leads and more commercially valuable conversations.
// NEXT STEPS
Future Developments
FIMIGroup has identified several strategic opportunities to expand the use of 3D digital twin technology and further strengthen its competitiveness. The company intends to integrate digital twins as early as the sales proposal stage, turning them into a focus for discussion and a means of differentiation from traditional negotiations, providing “that extra edge” that can make the difference in closing contracts. Another particularly promising development area is remote technical support: implementing digital twins for service and maintenance, combined with augmented reality technologies such as HoloLens, would make it possible to guide maintenance technicians in the field through component replacement, avoiding costly trips to distant countries such as India for tasks that could be handled effectively remotely.
FIMIGroup has identified several strategic opportunities to expand the use of 3D digital twin technology and further strengthen its competitiveness. The company intends to integrate digital twins as early as the sales proposal stage, turning them into a focus for discussion and a means of differentiation from traditional negotiations, providing “that extra edge” that can make the difference in closing contracts. Another particularly promising development area is remote technical support: implementing digital twins for service and maintenance, combined with augmented reality technologies such as HoloLens, would make it possible to guide maintenance technicians in the field through component replacement, avoiding costly trips to distant countries such as India for tasks that could be handled effectively remotely.