Transparency Corporate policies, grants and certifications of Jessica Spa.

Project

Development and optimization of new processes, products and prototypes to extend the life cycle of taps and fittings, fashion accessories and jewelry.

Description

Valmet Plating Srl. Project funded under the Tuscany Region Programme. ERDF ROP 2021-2027.
Call No.1 "Strategic research and development projects" approved by Executive Decree No.27716 of 29/12/2023 and subsequent amendments.
OP1 OS1 Action 1.1.4 "Research and development for businesses, including in partnership with research bodies".

The project's objective is to research solutions that reduce the direct or indirect use of metals and extend product life, which is crucial both economically and environmentally, through the introduction of Sustainability Oriented Innovation within the fashion, jewelry and tap fittings sectors.

Project funded under POR Creo Toscana 2014-2020

Development and optimization of new processes, products and prototypes to extend the life cycle of taps and fittings, fashion accessories and jewelry.

Description

Jessica is pleased to announce the transformation of its production process with the creation, in-house, of a new Production Technologies hub.
Alongside the passion, good taste and skilled craftsmanship that have always turned precious material into jewelry, a new technological heart now beats within Jessica: this project, entirely innovative for the Italian jewelry sector, allows us to develop in-house and exclusively, thanks to a new state-of-the-art department for equipment and acquired expertise, the production technology needed to develop new product lines.

The project is completed with the development and customization of an MES system, aimed at monitoring all corporate information flows with improved control of productivity per order and workmanship efficiency.
JTK - One step beyond!

Silver Jewelry from Ecological and Technological Electroplating

POR CREO ERDF 2014-2020 - Action line 1.1.5 – sub-action a1) – RS 2017 Call – Call 2: "Research and development projects for MSMEs"

Project implementation period: October 2017/March 2020

Project amount: € 713,985.00 | Union co-financing rate: 45%

Local unit where the project expenses were incurred: Laterina Pergine Valdarno (AR), via Maestri del Lavoro n. 22 fraz. Ponticino

Description

The "GADGET" project, an acronym for "Silver Jewelry from Ecological and Technological Electroplating" ("Gioielli in Argento Da Galvanica, Ecologica e Tecnologica"), involves the study, development and creation of a new jewelry line, for which specific silver alloys, innovative electroplating and mechanical processes will be developed, along with innovative control devices for monitoring the chemical-physical parameters of electroplating bath waters.

All research will be conducted with the aim of developing products and processes with low environmental impact and low risk for operators. In particular, new decorative silver-plating and gold-plating electroplating baths will be developed capable of forming decorative electroplated layers on jewelry free of cyanides and harmful, polluting and allergenic materials. These will also provide protective layers that increase the product's resistance to oxidation and preserve the underlying electroplating treatments. To reduce environmental impact, treatments will be developed with lower operating temperatures, resulting in reduced energy consumption for bath heating and wastewater treatment. An innovative surface passivation process using nanoparticles will also be developed to improve the technical characteristics of the coating in terms of hardness and durability.

The new processes will also be developed with an Industry 4.0 approach. This will allow the new processes to easily integrate into the traditional production cycle and foster the creation of a sort of interconnected supply chain, consisting of: jewelry manufacturer, bath manufacturers and analysis laboratories, able to interact remotely and in real time on the product's processing cycles.

The activity programme is structured around three operational objectives.

The first concerns the study and development of the new electroplating baths and is carried out by Italfimet Srl, a company specializing in plants and chemical products for the electroplating sector and project leader.

The second concerns the design and creation of the control system for monitoring the chemical-physical parameters of the electroplating bath waters, and is carried out by CDR Srl, an engineering company operating in the fields of telematics and diagnostics.

The third objective, concerning the development of an innovative jewelry line made with innovative processing techniques and new silver alloys, is carried out by Jessica Spa, a well-known high-fashion jewelry company, in collaboration with ICCOM - CNR Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds, which participates in the project as scientific-technical consultant.

All research is conducted with the essential contribution of the Applied Electrochemistry Laboratory of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Florence, project partner and scientific coordinator, which supports all the companies involved in the project, across all three objectives.

Across these activities, the fourth project partner, CIERRE Srl, as an accredited analysis laboratory, assists all other partners by conducting studies and analyses relating to the risks and environmental impact of the processes under development and assessments of the technical and performance characteristics of the products under study.

Smart Electroplating for Jewelry and Accessories 4.0 project

POR ERDF 2014-2020 – action 1.1.5 sub-action a1 – Call 2 "Research and development projects for MSMEs"

Project implementation period: September 2020 / June 2022

Project amount: € 330,157.50 | Union co-financing rate: 40%

Local unit where the project expenses were incurred: Laterina Pergine Valdarno (AR), via Maestri del Lavoro n. 22 fraz. Ponticino

Description

The goal of the GIGA 4.0 project is to pursue a more sustainable development model for the electroplating sector, increasing performance both economically and socially by working on eco-sustainability and Industry 4.0 aspects. The partners, Italfimet Srl, O.B.I. Spa, Jessica Spa and UNIFI, set out to create nickel-free and more ecological jewelry and fashion accessories, and to develop more efficient processes with a smart-factory approach. To produce more efficiently and sustainably, Italfimet SRL and UniFi will carry out industrial research to develop innovative electrodeposition bath formulations free of substances toxic to workers and the environment (cyanides and nickel), able to operate at lower temperatures than baths currently in use.

Specifically, four innovative electroplating bath formulations will be developed for use in the Ni-free process (a coating is considered Ni-free if nickel release is below 0.5 μg/cm2/week): cyanide-free alkaline copper, cyanide-free white bronze, cyanide-free strike, and cyanide- and nickel-free light gilding, to make the process free of cyanides and nickel. A 2017 study by Malin G. Ahlström shows that nickel contact allergies remain highly frequent within the European Union, making the elimination of this element from electroplated coatings (Ni-free coatings) an increasingly pressing need.

As part of the project, Italfimet SRL and UniFi will also commit, as a second objective, to developing electroplating tanks equipped with sensors for the chemical-physical parameters of the baths, a 4.0 electroplating tank, and a 4.0 electroplating line for the production of jewelry and fashion accessories. By combining industrial research into new innovative electroplating bath formulations with the experimental development of the 4.0 electroplating tanks and 4.0 electroplating line, an advanced, completely nickel-free electroplating process will be developed, more efficient and more eco-sustainable in an Industry 4.0 perspective, thanks to the use of sensors and IoT technologies, to be applied to fashion accessories and jewelry by the two industrial partners OFFICINA BIGIOTTERIE ITALIANA O.B.I. S.P.A. and JESSICA S.P.A. The idea behind the GIGA 4.0 project is to pursue a more sustainable development model for the electroplating sector, increasing performance both economically and socially by working on eco-sustainability and Industry 4.0 aspects.

The partners set out to create nickel-free, more ecological jewelry and fashion accessories, and to develop more efficient processes with a smart-factory approach. This project therefore falls within the Advanced Manufacturing Solutions field.

To produce more efficiently and sustainably, industrial research was designed to develop electrodeposition bath formulations free of substances toxic to workers and the environment (cyanides and nickel), able to operate at lower temperatures than baths currently in use, reducing energy consumption and therefore CO2 emissions.

In addition, an experimental development was designed that will lead to the creation of a 4.0 electroplating line, through the construction of electroplating tanks that allow electrodeposition parameters to be set and monitored, a 4.0 electroplating tank, a frame-tracking system, and the trial of a sensor network for monitoring the chemical-physical parameters of the washing tank water.

By combining industrial research into new innovative electroplating bath formulations with the experimental development of the smart electroplating tanks and the washing tank sensors, an advanced electroplating process will be developed, completely free of nickel and cyanides, more efficient and more eco-sustainable in an Industry 4.0 perspective, thanks to the use of sensors and IoT technologies, to be applied to fashion accessories and jewelry.