Attendees walk into Ocrim’s headquarters in Cremona, Italy, for the first day of “Wheat Flour And…” event. 

Attendees gather as the presentations begin. 

Sergio Antolini, president of Ocrim, welcomed attendees to the event, noting that AI “must be considered a tool and must remain under human management, avoiding the error of being overwhelmed by automatisms, algorithms and data structuring.”

Eloisa Martino, with Ocrim’s communications and marketing department, introduced the AI portion of the morning’s presentations.

David Zachetti, IT department manager for Ocrim, provided an overview of what is AI and how far it has advanced in recent years.

Luca Lambri, smart machines department manager for Ocrim, discussed the role of AI in milling.

Whether AI can improve a plant’s performance was covered by Paolo Molinari, electrical and automation department manager at Ocrim. He also discussed the importance of data, the current Ocrim AI applications and plans for future applications.

Two university representatives also discussed the role of AI in their agriculture studies. Pictured here is Ilva Licaj, from the Universita degli Studi del Sannia, who discussed the use of Smartroot software in research on roots of traditional and modern wheat varieties. 

Marco Galli, middle, director of Ocrim’s technological department, talks with attendees about the company’s rollstands.

After the AI presentation, attendees toured Ocrim’s manufacturing facilities and were able to watch equipment being made while also investigating finished pieces.