Webuild Group has inaugurated one of the world’s largest automated facilities for producing segments used to line the tunnels of the Naples-Bari high-speed railway. The facility is Situated in Southern Italy, in Bovino, a municipality located on the border between Campania and Apulia, the Group
The plant’s highly automated production processes offer an efficient solution to enhance construction speed and efficiency. They also ensure the highest safety standards for workers, says the company.
Bovino’s new facility, named Roboplant 2, is an evolution of Roboplant 1 — the first automated factory for segment production, inaugurated by Webuild in Belpasso, Catania, Sicily, just one year ago. Roboplant 1 has already produced approximately 25,000 segments for the Group’s railway projects on the island. In Belpasso, the Etnaplant facility is also operational, providing both manual and automated support to Roboplant 1. Roboplant 3 is set to become operational between 2025 and 2026 in Dittaino, in the province of Enna. Once complete, the three Sicilian factories will work together to supply segments for the high-capacity railway line linking Palermo, Catania, and Messina.
Overall, the four facilities are expected to create around 450 jobs, mainly from local recruitment. This includes both current and future hires.
Bovino’s facility includes high-level automation processes and uses robotics and Artificial Intelligence to achieve top-tier safety and green productivity goals. Every seven minutes, two segments will be produced, bringing the plant’s overall production capacity to 48 rings per day. This will enable the supply of over 1 million cubic meters of segments for the six TBMs planned for the excavation of the Hirpinia and Orsara tunnels on the Naples-Bari line.
The plant is expected to boost overall productivity by 30% and reduce its environmental impact, especially by cutting out the need for long-distance segment transportation. Additionally, its energy-efficient design will prevent the emission of around 140 tonnes of CO2 annually.
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