When we arrive in L’Ametlla del Vallès, around 40 kilometres from Barcelona, we are met by the cheerful CEO, who takes us on a tour of her company’s switchgear manufacturing department. Judit Birosta clearly knows her staff well. She takes the time to stop, shake hands and say hello, and is happy to have a chat, listen to what they have to say and let them show her things. Her smile is infectious. We quickly realise that SIDE is different, very different – a Spanish family business with a unique spirit.

The company is successful, too. In SIDE’s Automation Division, business has been on the up and up in recent years. When Birosta took over from her father, she continued the success story. The company has an impressive history that dates back over 50 years. SIDE started out as a small electronic circuit board manufacturer and electrical installation business. Today, it specialises in automation technology and panel building, meeting the high standards expected of a European engineering office.

SIDE has a workforce of around 120. Its customers come from the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, water treatment and mineral processing industries. The company also carries out global industrial projects in Europe, America and Asia. The second mainstay of its business is building machinery for thermoplastics (PET). “We are continuously moving forward and have enjoyed huge growth in recent years,” says Birosta proudly. The figures speak for themselves. “Our turnover was 2.5 million euros in 2009, had reached 3.2 million euros by 2014 and exceeded 10 million euros in 2023,” she reveals.

START OF A NEW ERA

There’s a lot going on at SIDE. The company is once again in the process of adding new working space. An even larger engineering office is being created on the first floor. SIDE took its first step towards digital engineering in 2009. That created the basis for what followed. “This decision marked the start of a new era,” explains Birosta. The transformation was driven by the company’s increasing workload and its customers’ growing technical requirements. “We needed to ensure traceability and reduce the number of errors, for example,” Birosta continues. It was impossible to develop business any further with the existing approach and processes. There was practically no chance of growth. “We were using manual processes and 2D tools, facing constant bottlenecks and losing time due to highly repetitive tasks,” she recalls.

OUTPUT DOUBLED

Birosta tells us the company is now highly competitive and meets international standards. “Thanks to digitalisation, we have doubled our output with the same team, but without compromising on quality,” she emphasises. The company is still under a lot of pressure, though. The biggest challenge at present is maintaining the same high level of quality and precision while also boosting productivity. Birosta knows what needs to be done. “We are focusing on optimising processes, reducing lead times and improving total costs to remain competitive on the European market,” she reveals.

TRUE TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS

SIDE owes its place in the current “Champions League” of plant engineering to the fact that it decided early on to completely rethink the company’s value-creation processes, and to work with Eplan and Rittal to digitalise, automate and standardise these processes. “We analysed the entire workflow – from design through to assembly – and started using Eplan Electric P8 engineering software to prepare circuit diagrams and Eplan Pro Panel to design enclosures in 3D,” explains the company’s Technical Director, Carles Taberné. Working with Rittal and Rittal Automation Systems, further progress was then made with the production system and digital integration.

SIDE now uses the Perforex Milling Terminal MT S for the automated machining of Rittal enclosures, the Secarex cutting centre to cut cable ducts to size, and the Wire Terminal WT C for fully automated wire processing. “We see Eplan and Rittal as true technology partners. They have helped us redefine workflows, train our staff and shape the digitalisation process on a sustainable basis thanks to ongoing technical collaboration,” Taberné continues.

MEASURABLE ADDED VALUE

The efficiency gains resulting from this joint effort are considerable. “We have reduced the number of hours spent on engineering by up to 30 percent and the machining time by 80 percent – in other words, from a whole day to around 20 minutes,” reveals a delighted Taberné. As he sees it, the key to this success is the coherence of the solutions. “Eplan and Rittal offer an integrated ecosystem that incorporates engineering, manufacturing and documentation,” he explains. Taberné also tells us that using verified data and no longer needing to do any manual reworking means errors have virtually disappeared and productivity has improved, without any changes to the team. SIDE is certain it has adopted the right approach throughout. Taberné enjoys thinking back to the very start of the transformation. “The first fully digitalised enclosure we produced was perfect straight off, which confirmed we were on the right track,” he says.

SKILLED WORKERS FOR THE FUTURE

To continue the success story, the company also needs to invest in talent. One of the main challenges is finding trained technical professionals. “That’s why we’re focusing on training them ourselves,” explains Birosta. The company is working closely with vocational training centres and universities. It is also making a considerable investment in training interns. The aim is to ensure the advancement of technical professionals within the company. “Digitalisation is a vital factor, but true success depends on each individual, on their commitment and the way they work,” Birosta continues. It also depends on a good family-like atmosphere, like the one at SIDE.

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  “EPLAN AND RITTAL ARE TECHNOLOGY AND KNOWLEDGE PARTNERS.”

  CARLES TABERNÉ
  Technical Director at SIDE

  Mr. Taberné, what sets SIDE apart in the world of plant engineering?

  SIDE is a Spanish engineering company with a broader European mindset. From Barcelona, we can offer the same level of technology as any Central European supplier, but with greater flexibility and a highly competitive price-performance ratio.

  How do you safeguard this competitiveness?

  Our processes are highly digitalised – from engineering right through to the final check. Thanks to standardised, end-to-end processes, work takes less time and we can also ensure high quality. We manufacture exactly what we’ve designed. That results in precision, speed and traceability.

  Does Spain have its own plant engineering requirements?

  We apply the same standards as Germany. We comply with IEC/EN 61439 and IEC/EN 60204-1, and we have CE, UL and CSA certifications. That means we can operate throughout Europe, the USA and Canada. We’re aiming to continue expanding our collaboration with technology partners in Europe.

  What role do Eplan and Rittal solutions play in your work?

  We used to work with sequential processes that depended on people. Thanks to Eplan and Rittal solutions, everything is now integrated, with a uniform and consistent flow of information. That improves our efficiency and precision, meaning our customers benefit from more reliable products, better documentation and prompt deliveries. As we see it, Eplan and Rittal are more than just suppliers – they’re technology and knowledge partners.