We met Marco Marella, CEO and Partner of FasThink, and Matteo Scola, Operations Manager and Partner, to learn more about the role of FasThink in the digital transformation of companies towards the so-called Industry 4.0. model

Let’s begin with a few words about the company…

FasThink is a modern «digitally native» firm. We say this with good reason because in 2010 the shareholders made their entrance into a very different company, a simple system integrator in an IT market that was also totally unlike the present market. FasThink today is so much more than this; it is a consulting business, a designer, producer and marketer of proprietary and licensed systems and components for automatic identification, traceability and industrial automation in the high-end market.

What is the Fasthink for Industry 4.0 package?

Our package includes scalable technologies for integrating IT systems in use, which satisfy in the most efficient way possible the broadest requirements of the Industry 4.0 model and the Smart Factory.
More specifically, we are talking about a network-system, which has at its core Connect, our middleware/orchestrator platform that enables integration/orchestration between IT systems in use and a series of technologies and field systems that FasThink covers with proprietary or licensee technology, ranging from RFID identification and mobile computing to augmented reality, wireless networking, voice picking, localisation, IoT, Big Data and Blockchain.

What industry target and which sectors are you aiming for?

Our solutions are used in the large-scale manufacturing industry, which is the reference target, primarily in the Automotive sector, where we are leader, and in the sectors of Logistics, Automation, Food and Pharmaceuticals… but our solutions and technologies can be incorporated into various production sectors.

Speaking of the Smart Factory, what types of services do you offer your customers?

The point of departure is our Global Planning Consultancy and the auditing of IT systems and processes, and then problem solving, which is inevitably linked with the consultancy aspect. Often the customers present us with their diagnosis of a problem or request, but soon realise that they can rely on us and let us take over the reins. In this regard, we possess unrivalled technical knowledge, which is acknowledged by our customers, who have international reach with production sites in various countries and who, precisely for this reason, require maximum levels of consultancy support, strategic technical planning and full service assistance, which is guaranteed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

How do your products differ from those of other players?

We support the industry with a complete, scalable offer, which is focussed on a targeted analytical approach and on providing advanced all-encompassing consultancy services, around which proprietary platforms and technologies are based, which help firms achieve unparalleled efficiency in terms of performance and cost savings.
Our aim is to simplify to the maximum and only if necessary re-evaluate process orchestration within a decisive «last mile» strategy, integrating our technologies in IT systems in use to achieve maximum efficiency in using all resources, including human resources.

What marketing strategies have you put in place to counter this current Covid period?

First and foremost we made sure our customers understood we would work closely alongside them, guaranteeing from the very beginning the adoption of all devices in full compliance with protocols to ensure full service assistance even in the field, making them feel “protected”, even psychologically. This was particularly important at the beginning of the pandemic.
Furthermore, we intensified web marketing communications, which allowed us to keep our relationship with customers and prospective clients firmly “under control”, stimulating a communicative process of exchanges rich in content relevant to such an unproductive period – that of lockdown and stage 2.
We then defined new strategic partnerships with some of the most important IT and engineering firms, which should further increase our standing among the major industries.
We invested in the development of new-generation products, to be launched at the beginning of the New Year, to complete our range of mobile wearables.
Lastly, we hired new technical-commercial and strategic marketing personnel to implement a three-year programme of development to help position FasThink internationally.

Can you give us a short list of your strong points?

The global planning consultancy aspect and technical know-how are the most important strategic factors in FasThink’s DNA, together with proprietary technology which has given us a competitive advantage on the market for at least three years.
Products like Connect, our middleware/orchestrator platform, and our Pick2Light wireless and e-Kanban sensor systems for a smarter logistics model, are destined to become key factors in the path towards the digital transformation of the large-scale manufacturing industry. We say this without presumption, because it is actually happening.
The Full Service Assistance, which sees us tirelessly committed to ensuring unparalleled execution and continuous monitoring of the process.
The constant drive towards research and innovation, with the aim of developing proprietary technology rather than scouting for complementary solutions around the world.
We can say that our customers have in FasThink a global partner that provides all-encompassing consultancy services focussed on innovation and on the finest and latest technology available on the market.

What innovations have you introduced over the past few years?

We have changed direction; today the average employee age is young for our sector, but our resources are all professionals with vast experience in the field.
In second place, we have invested – no expenses spared – in proprietary technologies and products, from the Connect middleware/orchestrator platform to the latest-generation wireless Pick2Light and e-Kanban sensor systems, which give us an excellent competitive advantage on the market, to the benefit of our customers, who can invest in the future of their business in total confidence.

What message does your company philosophy convey?

We believe we are visionary thinkers. It is this mindset that guides everything, and innovation is driven by this mindset, without which we would regress. Genius is rare, we are happy to be creative and forward-thinking. We make the effort to always look ahead, to train our minds to work faster and more efficiently, free from preconceptions; and by doing this, reconsider the things around us, transforming the way we observe – this is often enough to reinterpret them and simplify them. Creativity doesn’t mean inventing things but reinterpreting them, and for technology to be effectively innovative and stand the test of time, it doesn’t have to be complex, on the contrary, to work it can be simple and when it is – history has taught us – it becomes universal, inclusive and usable by all.

Future projects?

Give increasing support to our customers, not just in Italy, which involves constantly investing in staff, training, research and technology. In addition to this, develop new as yet unexploited market sectors, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and in the short-medium term, start looking at international markets, particularly in emerging countries to bring the best of Italian expertise and technology, something the entire world appreciates and perhaps even envies.