Industrial group · Machinery & Manufacturing · HMI

A Corporate HMI to unify an industrial group

A leading converting and packaging group, with a diverse machine portfolio, wanted a single human-machine interface recognisable across its whole fleet.

Challenge: A converting and packaging group with diverse machines and no common interface.
What we did: Field interviews in Italy and China, 21 interaction flows, more than 50 screens and a component library.
Result: A single standard HMI for the whole portfolio and a first step towards a group design system.

design issues made objective

interaction flows mapped

50+

screens ready for development

The context

The client is a leading industrial group in converting and packaging, with a technologically diverse machine portfolio and several engineering departments used to working in different ways.

The challenge was not only to design a new interface, but to extend a consistent experience to the whole fleet, with a single standard HMI for the entire portfolio.

The problem

The existing HMIs had limits that weighed on daily operations, training times, service and commissioning.

The group needed an interface that guided operators with clear instructions, guided set-ups and effective troubleshooting, plus advanced functions: icon-based navigation, presets and recipes, diagnostics, remote connectivity, IoT integration, mobile access and mixed reality for maintenance.

The NiEW method

From the field to pixel-perfect design

01. Exploration

Field interviews at customers in Italy and China with production managers, maintenance managers and operators.

02. Analysis

Insights and requirements organised into design guidelines, with development, automation, IT, marketing, service and management.

03. Concept and validation

Solutions and prototypes tested iteratively with real users.

04. Pixel-perfect design

An interface refined in every detail and a component library ready for development.

The solution

An HMI that combines system consistency, ease of use and scalability: recognisable across the portfolio, yet flexible for different applications.

21 interaction flows and more than 50 screens.
A Figma library with styles, grids and components shared by design and development.
A flexible architecture for two sales configurations.
Clearer navigation, quick access to key functions and more effective diagnostics.

The results

A single group HMI

A standard interface for the whole fleet, strengthening the perception of one brand.

More autonomous operators

Fewer repetitive tasks and less technical support needed.

A common language

Design and development work on the same components: the first step towards a group design system.

A repeatable method

A methodological foundation the group can extend to its next machines.

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