I.M.A. INDUSTRIA MACCHINE AUTOMATICHE SPA

Their core work

IMA is a large Italian manufacturer of automatic industrial machines, with deep roots in packaging and processing equipment for pharmaceutical, food, and manufacturing sectors. In their H2020 participation, they contributed as an industrial end-user and validation partner — bringing real production-floor environments where robotic and mechatronic solutions could be tested and refined. Their involvement in ROSSINI focused specifically on human-robot collaboration, safe automation, and sensor-based quality control in live manufacturing settings. They represent the industrial counterweight in research consortia: the company that turns lab concepts into deployable factory-floor solutions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

IMA's H2020 track is too short (two projects, 2017–2018 starts) to show a deep trend, but there is a clear directional signal within those two engagements. The first project, I-MECH, was about foundational mechatronic control platforms — infrastructure-level work with no sector-specific keywords attached. By ROSSINI, the focus had sharpened considerably: human-robot collaboration, safe automation, vision-based inspection, and laser scanning point to a move from generic motion control toward intelligent, perception-driven robotics embedded in live production environments. The trajectory suggests IMA is progressively integrating sensing and AI-assisted robotics into its core machinery offering, rather than treating these as standalone research exercises.

IMA is moving toward perception-driven, safety-certified human-robot interaction in manufacturing — a strong fit for future consortia addressing Industry 4.0 automation safety, cobotic integration, or smart inspection systems.

How they like to work

IMA has participated exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, across both H2020 projects — consistent with large industrials who join research projects to validate and absorb technology rather than to lead them. Their consortia were substantial: 43 unique partners across 12 countries from just two projects indicates involvement in large, multi-partner European initiatives rather than small bilateral collaborations. This suggests IMA is comfortable operating within complex consortia and offers industrial credibility and test-bed access rather than project management leadership.

IMA has connected with 43 unique partners across 12 countries through only two projects, indicating participation in large-scale European consortia rather than tight bilateral partnerships. Their network spans at least a dozen European countries, with no evidence of geographic concentration beyond their Italian base.

What sets them apart

IMA brings something most research partners cannot: a real, operating industrial production environment where robotics and automation technologies can be tested under genuine manufacturing conditions. As one of Italy's major automatic machinery manufacturers, their participation signals industrial seriousness and provides the kind of end-user validation that strengthens an EU project's impact case. For a consortium building cobotic or smart automation proposals, IMA offers both sectoral credibility and a live test bed — assets that are hard to replace with a university lab.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ROSSINI
  The largest project by funding (EUR 562,500) and the only one generating rich keyword data, ROSSINI directly aligned with IMA's core business by applying robotic sensing and actuation to real manufacturing job quality — a clear industrial validation use case.
• I-MECH
  IMA's entry into H2020 via an intelligent mechatronics platform project, notable for its minimal funding share (EUR 45,312) suggesting a targeted, peripheral role — likely as an industrial reference partner rather than a technical contributor.