September 2023
From single project to group solution
A global HMI concept for the COESIA Group
Can you roll out a consistent UI design in a global group with 20 subsidiaries from different industries? You can – with a well thought-out concept, flexible technology and interdisciplinary exchange.
Coesia is an Italian group of companies whose 20 subsidiaries offer a broad portfolio of machines, mainly packaging machines, for various industries. These include consumer goods, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, tobacco, ceramic tiles, luxury goods, aerospace, motorsports & automotive and electronics.
The starting point: a UI design for printing and control systems.
In 2013, HMI Project developed a user-centric human machine interface for setting and monitoring track & trace within a packaging machine for Laetus, a subsidiary at the time that provides track & trace solutions, and for HAPA, a sister company that manufactures inline printers. In order to meet the very individual requirements of the two companies, a deliberately generic interface design was developed. The project was successfully completed and won several international design awards in 2015 and 2016.
The first adaptation
In 2019, HMI Project was asked to adapt the UI to Coesia Group's first sister company, packaging machinery manufacturer ACMA. The the project benefited from the generic approach, as the UI is also very well suited for mapping packaging processes.
After the successful implementation of the project, Coesia decided to roll out the UI to the entire group - a unique challenge that we were very happy to take on. In the meantime, about half of all Coesia’s UIs have been converted under the product name ›OptiMate‹.
›OptiMate‹ is implemented on a project basis, using a standardized process that begins with an examination of machine- or technology-related requirements and then takes these into account and implements them individually in the course of interdisciplinary collaboration between UX experts, developers and product managers on both sides. Different technologies are used, which are held together by a company-wide style guide.
Digital Program Manager Claudio Beretta (Coesia) and Managing Director Christian Rudolph (HMI Project)
Screen elaborations for ACMA (Bottle filling)
Managing Director Christian Rudolph next to an interface for VOLPAK machines (packer)
Dashboard for ACMA (Chocolate Wrapper)
Screen variations for Laetus and Citus Kalix
The goal: a global UI design.
For global program manager Claudio Beretta, the benefits are obvious:
»Coesia will be able to offer a consistent user interface across the group. This will enable operators to intuitively find their way around on every machine in our group, resulting in significantly reduced learning times.
Standardization in HMI development also saves us enormous costs and enables us to achieve market-ready results more quickly.«
In addition to the consistent, modern and brand-compliant overall interface design, both the operation of the machines and the development of the specific UIs become more efficient, easier and faster.
The development of a globally uniform UI design is a positive example of how UI design can also form a bracket for manufacturers of industrial machines across technologies. We look forward to further cooperation and thank Coesia for the trust placed in us.