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How Storti enhanced cybersecurity with IXON
3 min. read
Monica Negri
The rapid increase in connected machines has exposed the manufacturing sector to an increasing number of cyber attacks. Storti, a manufacturer of sawmill and pallet nailing machines, has implemented a secure cyber system through IXON.
Storti was founded in 1960 as a company specialized in the production of machines and lines for sawmilling and pallet nailing, the only manufacturer in the world to bring together both lines of business within its offer. This uniqueness translates into a high degree of customization of machinery, leading the company to establish itself as an international manufacturer with customers both in Italy (40 percent) and abroad: Europe, Canada, United States, Mexico, Latin America and Australia.
''This uniqueness translates into a high degree of customization, which is one of the main values and one of the pillars of Storti's success,'' says Pamela Scaramuzza, Marketing Manager at Storti.
The headquarters of Storti in Motta Baluffi, Italy
Challenge
In this context, remote service and maintenance activities play a crucial role: ''The pushed customization is not only on the product, but also on after-sales service with the related involvement of the service department. Everything is calibrated to the customer in a very specific way,'' explains Andrea Mazzini, CEO of execurity srl and as-a-service CIO for Storti.Continuous improvement at Storti was further realized with the adoption of new technology for industrial connectivity. An evolution of security aspects is taking place in the manufacturing world and European regulations regarding their requirements for the sale of machines are coming into force (in particular Directive 2022/2555 - NIS2 in October 2024 and the new Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 in January 2027). For this reason, the Storti team conducted an internal review.
''We defined a checklist of priorities to identify adaptation needs, in a redefinition process that also involved the service department. In particular, there were two needs: to find a product that was adequately secure and offered features that are very easy to use,'' Mazzini explains. Their previous solution had potential limitations, both in terms of compliance with new regulations and in terms of scalability, in the face of an increasing number of installed machines and related maintenance activities.
Flex 60 M by Storti
Solution
The choice for a new solution fell on IXON. Certifications and compliance were the first requirements examined, including: ISO 9001 (quality management), ISO 27001 (information security), ISO 27017 (cloud service security), ISO 27701 (privacy), IEC 62443-4-1 and IEC 62443-4-2 (software and hardware development). We did a series of internal tests, which were successful. Then we started an initial delivery and from that point it all started,” Mazzini says.
The next step was the standardization of the solution, which allowed Storti to make a series of comparisons on functionality and performance, drawing a positive balance: ''IXON has always worked well. There are no problems with downtime or missed connections.'' explains Lorenzo Vicini, Senior Automation Engineer at Storti. ''I see a very 'lean' philosophy from IXON, in people, product and communication. Clarity and simplicity are there, from product to service and internal functions, which continue to be a great help even now, after choosing the solution,'' Vicini continues.
''The solution is easy to use, just log on to the portal and connect, and our customers benefit from quick support. The audit trail feature allows to log who accesses the platform and interventions made by individual technicians on individual devices. This is critical for the service department: comparing frequency, type of interventions and production data allows us to highlight any critical issues in machine operation, or alternatively suboptimal use by the customer. We can then proactively intervene to correct inefficiencies,'' Vicini continues.
The audit trail feature allows to log who accesses the platform and interventions made by individual technicians on individual devices. This is critical for the service department.
- Lorenzo Vicini, Senior Automation Engineer at Storti
Ease of use and flexibility also enable Storti to meet the needs of a diverse customer base, from small businesses to more structured customers. "IXON is a dynamic tool that can handle anything. The difference is in customer management: smaller customers appreciate the ability to easily connect and disconnect machines, while larger ones make more structured arrangements with us,” Vicini notes.
Result
The platform is also effective as Software-as-a-service (SaaS): “The software manages the devices centrally, avoiding error-prone manual operations. The software provides an overview of machine parameters, allowing settings to be standardized and implemented,” Mazzini said. The installation phase is also simpler than in the past. Especially in the case of retrofits, we have already sent the device pre-programmed from the other side of the world, and it's possible to reprogram it from the portal to correct settings if necessary,” adds Vicini.
Storti's future plans include an even more structured service offering. Scaramuzza says that “the choice of a technologically advanced product goes hand in hand with the company's philosophy."
In the past, customer focus was reflected in mechanical customization and custom design. The next step is to bring service to the same level.
Pamela Scaramuzza – Marketing Manager di Storti
