With the support of Lectra’s expertise and technology, Miti lowers operational costs and improves quality by taking the leap to cutting leather in-house.
The challenge
Miti wanted to gain control over hide consumption, reduce operational costs and ensure the quality of cut pieces by incorporating leather cutting into the in-house production process. Miti maximised material efficiency, using over 70% of a hide for some models. They have also achieved 3% material savings.
Lectra proposed the Versalis® automated leather-cutting solution, which enables the company to meet tight deadlines, ensure maximum hide efficiency and high quality cut pieces.
Lectra’s response
Lectra proposed the Versalis automated leather-cutting solution which enables the company to meet tight deadlines, ensure maximum hide efficiency and high-quality cut pieces.
The need for change
Previously, Miti designed and assembled products in-house and subcontracted the leather cutting. However, outsourcing leather cutting resulted in a loss of control over quality and material consumption which, given the high quality of the hides, was very costly.
These issues spurred Miti’s management team to consider overhauling its production processes to include leather cutting. Lectra carried out a careful analysis of the impact in-house cutting would have for Miti in terms of hides cut per day, cut quality, and running costs. A visit to Lectra’s International Advanced Technology Center also allowed the opportunity to run cutting tests on Versalis® using Miti’s own hides.
The results of automatic nesting tests and Versalis’ high cut quality convinced Miti executives of the value a Versalis cutting room would bring.
Reaping the benefits of automation
Miti has already achieved its quality and productivityg oals. Versalis’ sophisticated software and cutting precision have enabled Miti to maximize material efficiency, using over 70% of a hide for some models. It has also achieved 3% material savings without adding additional shifts.
High labour costs in Italy were an important factor in the company’s choice of the Versalis one-head cutter. This configuration, primarily used for cutting large pieces, has the added benefit of only requiring two operators to run it.
"We can assign experienced staff to tasks such as identifying quality zones. Others are assigned to cutting which, thanks to Versalis’ automation of the cutting process, does not require special skills," continues Roberto.
Lectra experts will support Miti for the duration of this important project to ensure that the company maintains its results over the long term. "The success of such an ambitious project is based not only on having the best technology; we also wanted a partner that would remain at our side throughout this transformation. Lectra was the ideal choice to accompany us on the successful implementation of this project," concludes Roberto.