Dr. Schär opens a high-tech pilot plant in Trieste
It will also use artificial intelligence to speed up product development and optimise the transition from research to industrial production
Key points
A high-tech pilot plant designed to be used in conjunction with artificial intelligence to accelerate product development and optimise the transition from research to industrial production: it was inaugurated by Dr. Schär – a company founded in 1922 in South Tyrol to improve the lives of people with specific dietary needs: the group now comprises 18 sites across 12 countries, with 1,800 employees – in the Area Science Park in Trieste.
The investment
An investment of 1.2 million euros to support the company’s key business areas, from gluten-free products to medical nutrition, thereby strengthening the role of the company’s Research and Development Centre as an international benchmark for innovation.
The new facility covers an area of 453 square metres and is fully wired and digitised. The facility enables data from the various machines to be collected and analysed in an integrated manner, facilitating a significant evolution in the way formulations are developed and validated. In this context, technological development and a focus on sustainability come together to support the evolution of processes and ensure ever-higher quality standards, in line with the South Tyrolean company’s vision: to transform specialised nutrition into an everyday experience that combines science, safety and the enjoyment of food. The products are available in more than 100 countries.
Evolution
“This investment represents a significant step in the evolution of our innovation model, as it enables us to tangibly strengthen the integration and continuity between research and industrial development,” says Virna Cerne, Senior Director of Global Research & Development at the Dr. Schär R&D Centre – “Our aim is to accelerate the transformation of knowledge into scalable solutions and to further expand the potential of our business, anticipating future needs in specialised nutrition and helping to guide its evolution on a global scale.”
The new pilot plant forms part of a well-established and highly specialised ecosystem. The Dr. Schär R&D Centre, opened in 2003, brings together a team of 35 researchers dedicated to developing new products and technologies, with expertise ranging from food chemistry and biotechnology to the study of raw materials and the implementation of agronomic projects. The work also involves identifying packaging solutions and conducting sensory evaluations of products, supported by dedicated panels, and covers every stage, from prototype design through to scaling up at the company’s 12 production sites, including pilot-scale testing to verify and optimise recipes prior to industrial production.
