Roca Group, the global bathrooms manufacturer, has partnered with Schneider Electric to implement a digital transformation across its international manufacturing network, targeting operational efficiency, energy management, and sustainability.
The collaboration builds on a pilot project at Roca’s Cantanhede plant in Portugal, where Schneider Electric’s advisory services and industrial automation technology delivered early results, including a 2.1% improvement in operational equipment efficiency, a 1.86% reduction in energy consumption per ton of production, and annual savings equivalent to more than 4,400 work hours.
Roca, which operates 79 factories worldwide, plans to roll out the unified digital model to its wider industrial network. The initiative leverages Schneider Electric’s AVEVA MES and AVEVA System Platform for real-time production monitoring, quality control, and decision-making, alongside Power Monitoring Expert and AVEVA PI System for detailed energy tracking and compliance with ISO 50001 standards.
Friedrich Richter, Senior Vice President for Services, Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, described the project as “a powerful example of how digitalisation and sustainability can work in synergy to deliver measurable, scalable results in real industrial environments.”
Jacques Nieuwland, Roca’s Director of IT and Digital Transformation, said the programme strengthens the company’s commitment to “smarter, more responsible industry,” while Miquel Barahona, Director of Manufacturing at the Faucet Competence Centre, added that the initiative equips teams at all levels with “more agile tools, accessible data, and a shared performance vision.”
The programme follows strategic assessments and visits to Schneider Electric’s Lighthouse facility in France and digital maturity evaluations in Portugal and Germany. Roca Group has also tied the initiative to its broader environmental goals, which include a 53% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2018, 100% renewable electricity in European operations from 2025, and more than 21 GWh of clean energy used annually. The company’s sustainability credentials were recognised in 2024 with the EcoVadis Platinum Medal, placing it among the top 1% of global companies.
Following the pilot phase, the digital model will be implemented at additional factories in Portugal, Poland, Morocco, Brazil, Austria, and Switzerland, with the aim of scaling across Roca’s global operations and creating a more connected, efficient, and resilient production network.
