Smart energy: Surgital accelerates towards Industry 5.0

Pillars of Surgital’s energy project

• integration between cogeneration, photovoltaics and artificial intelligence;
• self-generation covering over 91% of energy demand;
• predictive and adaptive AI-based system;
• real-time control and waste reduction;
• continuous innovation geared towards Industry 5.0;
• active contribution to SDGs 7, 9, 12 and 13.

As in every good recipe, Surgital’s energy transition has been crafted with care: technological innovation, skills, strategic vision.
This journey began in 2008, driven by the will to innovate and make the company increasingly efficient in both production and energy terms, bringing Surgital ever closer to the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the European Green Deal.

The journey started almost twenty years ago with the installation of the first cogeneration plant. In 2022 came the real turning point: a technological overhaul with CGT and Trigenia, and the introduction of machine learning.
The goal was to reduce consumption, optimise processes and increase energy autonomy.
Today that milestone has been reached—yet it is just one stage along the way.

Energy gets smart: AI enters production

In the first half of 2025, Surgital covers over 91% of its energy needs with in-house generation, thanks to the integration of cogeneration and photovoltaics. The latter has accelerated significantly: from 4.3% in H1 2023 to 11.5% in H1 2025, with the official commissioning of a new ground-mounted system exceeding 2.2 MW and an additional 216 kW on the plant roof.

In September 2025, Trigenia’s artificial intelligence—after two years of training and simulations—becomes fully operational.
Every day, the AI processes the production plan and provides the optimal setpoints for the systems, based on weather forecasts and energy requirements.
It’s a “load-following” system that orchestrates energy in real time and will soon also include boiler management. The first results will be visible shortly: less waste, higher efficiency and increasingly precise control.

Technology, people, vision: the strength of a shared project

Behind every evolution there are people and stories.
Edoardo Bacchini led the project with a passionate team: Elena Balbi, Enrica Bacchini, Francesca Stefanini, Daniele Massari and Edoardo Ferrari. A special thought goes to Massimiliano Gadoni, who contributed to the journey, leaving an important mark on the project and on the people.

The future? It’s already in the works.
Surgital is evaluating new solutions to integrate the entire energy system and keep innovating according to Industry 5.0 principles: next-generation systems, advanced consumption monitoring and certifications to validate performance.

This strategy naturally fits into a broader vision: making a concrete contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, in particular:

Goal 7: affordable and clean energy;
Goal 9: industry, innovation and infrastructure;
Goal 12: responsible consumption and production;
Goal 13: climate action.

With this vision, Surgital shows how industrial growth, craftsmanship and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand. The journey towards an ever smarter and more sustainable food industry model is underway and ongoing.
There is no finish line—only stages in an evolving path.
New implementations pave the way for measurable results, which we will be ready to share soon, with the same transparency and determination as always.