People 4.0 | The "human" side of Digital Transformation processes in manufacturing: the Case of Oleificio Zucchi

Oleificio Zucchi has made significant plant and technological investments to support the expected growth in production volumes, initiating a process of digital transformation of the factory that has led to rethink organization, operational mechanisms and skills of the shopflooor staff to make sure they fully grasp the advantages and potential offered by new technologies.

Any successful Digital Transformation indeed requires the involvement and adaptation of the organization and people to the new operational and management challenges, being first and foremost a change management process.

Oleificio Zucchi has therefore designed and started, with the support of Bonfiglioli Consulting, a path of development of resources and their skills, with the involvement of plant and technology partners, to ensure their alignment with the needs related to the introduction of new technologies and new operating methods through a structured path aimed at:

  • Design the new profiles in alignment with the requirements of the new plants / lines
  • Map/evaluate the technical and management skills of the current workforce and identify key people
  • Realize the communication plan to support the «Digital Transformation» process
  • Redefine the processes and organization of reference
  • Support implementation: training and coaching paths
  • Define a system of indicators-and its declination down to the operational level-to ensure the effectiveness of learning
  • Create an auditing system to monitor the evolution of the new organizational model over time

Oleificio Zucchi, established in 1810 as a family-run artisanal business, is a leading Italian industrial and commercial reality in the olive oil sector, where it operates both as a producer of olive oils and seed oils under its own brand and private label as a consumer division and as a supplier with bulk oils for the food industry. The current 110,000-square-meter production site near Cremona, opened in the 1990s, is an example of cutting-edge technology and environmental sustainability, with a production capacity of about 500 tons/day refined and 1,500,000 liters/day packaged. The numerous awards and certifications testify to Oleificio Zucchi's relentless commitment to achieving ever higher quality, environmental, ethical and safety standards, the result of a corporate approach focused on innovation, but at the same time faithful to the values of tradition and corporate social responsibility. One of Oleificio Zucchi's distinguishing features is its expertise in the art of blending, the ability to create an oil with a specific personality by combining oils of different cultivars and origins to create an extra virgin olive oil that is superior to the starting products, capable of satisfying different consumer tastes and enhancing flavors. In order to offer an excellent oil with consistent quality over time, Oleificio Zucchi has also created the “Oil Cellar,” the largest temperature-controlled storage facility in Italy (constant at 16°), capable of storing up to 4,800 tons of extra virgin olive oil, keeping all its organoleptic characteristics unaltered.