Since December 2001, Giuseppe Sugliano has been responsible for the Wonderware business in Italy and Portugal, and from April 2003 to March 2006 he was responsible for the restructuring and development of Wonderware in Spain. Giuseppe comes from the European Wonderware structure where he held the role of EMEA Consulting Services Manager. Previously, Giuseppe held managerial roles such as Operations Director and Business Unit Manager in important Italian System Integration companies, focused on the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) area for the European market, and he was significantly involved in developing solutions for clients such as Bridgestone, ST Microelectronics, Vodafone, and Fiat. During his over 25 years of professional experience, he has undertaken various roles as account and product manager, project manager, and software solutions developer. Giuseppe graduated in Information Science from the University of Turin.
What is meant by “Solutions that help companies better manage their plants”? Production plants (understood in a broad sense, including facilities that control water and gas distribution networks, for example) generate enormous amounts of data. It is not new that the market offers products and software solutions to collect this data and make it available to various users. The still largely unresolved problem is the realization of real-time connectivity of production systems to close the loop with supply chain management systems. Data collected in real time from the plants is not easily and systematically made available to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and consequently cannot be effectively used for the planning functions of such systems. This demand for integration has been taken up by standardization bodies such as ISO and naturally by the most advanced companies in the field of industrial automation software, like Wonderware, which are committed to developing products that also allow integrating ERP systems into the real-time infrastructure. At Wonderware, we have been developing our products for years on an integration infrastructure called ArchestrA. ArchestrA is common to all our solutions, from simple Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), even single-node, up to integration with ERP systems based on the ISO S95 standard. As Wonderware, we are convinced, and the market is proving it to us, that having a single integration infrastructure is the key element to create solutions that help our customers better manage their companies. What is the state of the Italian automation market and what are the prospects? Technological innovation, and therefore investment in industrial automation, is vital for the development of an advanced country like Italy. Production of goods will increasingly move to areas where labor costs are lower. To compete, we must continuously develop products to make them better and more effective than those made elsewhere. Technological research, through a proper relationship between academia and research, industry, and service companies, is an indispensable tool to guarantee our economy and living standards in the future. I don’t believe there are other possible scenarios because it is not conceivable for Italy to have a future without a modern, competitive productive industrial system. What is the relationship between Italian companies and automation? Italy is a country mostly made up of SMEs, and we know they invest on average very little in automation because they often have limited resources or lack sufficient culture to undertake projects in this area. Therefore, action must be taken on multiple fronts: technology companies like Wonderware and service companies operating in the automation market must offer modular and scalable solutions suitable for companies of any size but, at the same time, policies that encourage the growth in size of companies and their technological innovation are desirable. What is Wonderware’s vision? Automation cannot be limited to the introduction of PCs, PLCs, software, etc., without an organic and strategic plan. Companies operating in the automation sector, such as technology producers (which Wonderware is part of) and system integrators, have the skills and expertise to help companies create effective information systems with minimal risks. At Wonderware, we can help client companies clearly define their requirements so that solutions are designed and implemented minimizing typical IT infrastructure problems: integration difficulties, slowness in adapting to new user needs, management costs, difficulty reconfiguring business processes according to new emerging company needs. The choice of automation software must take these points into account and address those products that ensure maximum integrability of existing data sources, high scalability, and a strong ability to evolve over time, guaranteeing compatibility with what has been developed and created over the years. The cost of an automation system is not only the initial investment but also what must be sustained throughout its lifetime. The choice must be made based on medium-long term needs and according to a comprehensive plan. At Wonderware, efforts are strongly focused on providing technology that minimizes the solution’s life cycle cost (TCO, Total Cost of Ownership). Who is your typical customer? Wonderware essentially addresses three types of companies: end customers, plant and machinery builders (VAR/OEM), and system integration companies. It should be emphasized that Wonderware does not create applications but rather provides software products, training and consulting services, and technical support. In our business model, the collaborative relationship with solution providers (VAR/OEM and system integrators), who are responsible for delivering turnkey systems and applications, is therefore crucial. The traditional versatility and completeness of our software have led us to be present in practically all automation markets. Statistically, our most important installed base, about 9%, is in the machinery builders market, followed by electronics, food, chemical, and then progressively other sectors. As can be seen, there is no predominant sector. Recently we have been successfully developing our presence in civil engineering sectors, such as monitoring and supervision of highways, railways, subways, and airports. Who are your competitors? Our traditional competitors are the large producers of software and hardware for automation, such as Siemens, Rockwell, General Electric, Schneider, and some smaller manufacturers often present in only one country. The extreme scalability and modularity of our offering allow us to be competitive even against competitors smaller than us. Our business model, based on collaboration with system integrators, helps us in this regard since the competition is on the total solution price, which includes products and software engineering. The high performance of our products allows us and our integration partners to be competitive against solutions based on cheaper but also poorer technologies, which therefore require more application development. What does Wonderware offer that competitors in Italy do not, and why choose you? Unlike our biggest competitors, Wonderware is the only large technology producer dedicated entirely to software, which is exclusively developed and marketed. Our customers are therefore guaranteed that all Wonderware investments are and will be directed towards developing our software. We are also the only ones who never develop applications for end customers but operate exclusively on the market in collaboration with solution providers. This makes the highest technological competence (from Wonderware) and the best software engineering expertise in vertical markets (from our system integrators) available to our customers. Furthermore, I would add Wonderware Italy’s constant commitment to providing high-quality services, both training and consulting, as well as technical support. How did the last year go and what are your future goals? In terms of global business, Wonderware has been growing at a double-digit percentage rate for 14 quarters. In this fiscal year (which began in April and will end in March 2007) we estimate growth of 17%. Concerning Italy, last year we closed with volumes substantially constant compared to the previous year. The causes can mainly be found in the stagnant Italian economy and delays in completing the necessary investments to strengthen the structure of Wonderware Italy, especially the commercial one. This year, after the first five months of the fiscal year, thanks to the investments made, we are growing by 40% compared to last year. Our goal is to close the fiscal year with growth of more than 20%. Wonderware Italia S.p.A., based in Gallarate, manages commercial development in Italy and Portugal. Technological solutions for manufacturing and complex plant management, project consulting and training for clients and solution providers, qualified technical support, and deep knowledge of industrial automation and information management systems are the core assets that make Wonderware Italy a leader in the segment of integrated solutions for industrial automation. Wonderware USA, a California company part of Invensys Systems, Inc., since 1987 deals with the development and provision of solutions for industrial process management. The software suites offered by Wonderware quickly integrate plant data providing companies with all the critical fundamental information essential to achieving maximum operational quality and consequent cost reduction. Wonderware ensures technical support through its network of over 160 distributors and has an installed base of about 325,000 licenses in over 100,000 facilities worldwide, which represents about 30% of the 335,000 facilities with at least 20 employees globally. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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