Roboplant: 4.0 pre-cast concrete segment factories

In Bovino (FG), Webuild recently opened an innovative, high-tech, robot-powered, safe and environmentally friendly factory to produce pre-cast concrete segments - the elements used to line railway tunnels - which will be used in conjunction with the many TBMs that will be working over the coming years to construct some of the tunnels planned for the high-speed, high-capacity railway line running between Naples and Bari that is currently under construction.

This innovative, high-tech facility in Bovino marks an evolution from the first Roboplant facility opened by the Group in Belpasso (CT) in 2023, and is one of the largest robotic factories in the world in terms of manufacturing capacity for the production of pre-cast concrete segments. 

The facility is being built in order to supply the four TBMs set to excavate the Hirpinia tunnel - part of the Hirpinia-Orsara lot - which, with its impressive length of 27km per chamber, will challenge the Valico tunnel in Genoa for the title of longest tunnel in Italy. It will also supply the two TBMs that will build the Orsara tunnel on the Orsara-Bovino lot, spanning an overall length of approximately 10km per chamber.

The Bovino factory came into operation with a manually controlled production area and is organised across a twinned pair of automated, independent lines for the production of pre-cast concrete segments. When operating at full capacity, the facility will be able to produce two segments every seven minutes, with an overall production capacity of 48 rings per day, resulting in over a million cubic metres of concrete segments being produced by the time construction is complete.

The two production lines consist of different machinery units with various work stations, allowing operators to carry out every part of the production process in a way that minimises the environmental impact associated with transporting the concrete segments, as well as helping them reach the construction sites faster, resulting in an expected 30% increase in overall productivity.

The new Bovino facility, named Roboplant 2, is the next step along the path paved by the Group’s first site in Belpasso (CT), named Roboplant 1, the first automated pre-cast concrete segment factory opened by Webuild in Sicily, in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano, and intended to supply most of the railway construction sites across the island.

A second factory located in Belpasso, Etnaplant, is already operational, designed to support Roboplant 1 by producing concrete segments under both manual and automated control. There are also future plans for the launch of a third facility, Roboplant 3, located in Dittaino, in the province of Enna. 

The three concrete segment factories in Sicily are intended to supply materials for most of the tunnels to be excavated along the Palermo-Catania-Messina high-capacity railway line.

Altogether, the four facilities are expected to help create approximately 450 jobs, predominantly for local workers, with some staff already hired and plans to fill more positions, further cementing Webuild’s commitment to modernising Southern Italy’s infrastructure. 

Roboplants: sustainability and innovation providing a competitive edge for a world-class Italian supply chain

Built according to sustainable, technologically advanced design criteria, Webuild’s Roboplant facilities employ a high degree of automation by using cutting-edge robotics and artificial intelligence technologies to meet ambitious targets in terms of safety, energy efficiency and productivity. 

These are 4.0 factories in which production and storage management benefit from traceability throughout every step of the process: from production to transportation, all the way through to the TBM's warehouse and subsequent installation of the segments in the tunnel. All operations are carried out under the safest possible conditions and according to sustainable design criteria, thus optimising the energy efficiency of the facilities. 

Webuild’s commitment to opening pre-cast concrete segment factories reflects the Group’s world-leading position in the field of underground excavation: indeed, Webuild currently boasts one of the largest fleets of TBMs in the world, comprising some 60 machines overall, including those in operation, being assembled, on order and with pending orders for a variety of ongoing projects. In Italy, there are currently around 40 TBMs earmarked for the Group’s ongoing projects, 30 of which are in the South.