A major milestone in our growth journey: VIS Hydraulics – B Corp Certified officially joins SmartFluidPower as a strategic partner, combining strengths to revolutionize advanced design in the fluid power sector.

This strategic alliance is born from a shared vision: the integration of dynamic simulation and cutting-edge experimentation is the key to tackling the industry’s technological challenges.

VIS HYDRAULICS

VIS Hydraulics is a manufacturing company that designs and sells cartridge valves for compact hydraulics—key components used to control flow and pressure in more complex hydraulic systems across a wide range of applications, including pumps, motors, actuators, and integrated circuits.

Its CEO and Founder, Adamo Venturelli, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, started the company in 2009 during the global financial crisis. Today, the group includes 4 companies, employs around 550 people, and reached over 50 million euros in revenue in 2024. Deeply rooted in the Pavullo nel Frignano region, Venturelli has built a business model that combines technological innovation and social responsibility.

HOW THE PARTNERSHIP BEGAN

In 2019, thanks to a grant from the Emilia-Romagna Region, VIS Hydraulics launched an ambitious development plan by investing in a Research Center for sensor-equipped hydraulic systems and a Research Project focused on “smart” valves for the fluid power industry. The latter required advanced expertise and led to the beginning of the collaboration with SmartFluidPower, alongside an existing partnership with the Vehicle Hydraulic Laboratory at UniMORE.

The goal was to enhance valve performance for flow, pressure, and directional control. The initial phase involved modeling and simulation activities, along with technical training courses for the VIS Hydraulics engineering team. Later, digital twins of the company’s test benches were developed, along with an intuitive simulation interface.

THE PILLARS OF OUR PARTNERSHIP

• Strengthening the VIS Hydraulics R&D Center for Fluid Power by integrating our advanced simulation tools, creating a one-of-a-kind ecosystem in Italy where virtual models and experimental validation interact in real time

• Accelerating the development of innovative components by synergistically leveraging:
  • VIS’s expertise in physical design and testing
  •  Our predictive optimization services and consulting

• Creating integrated virtual modeling solutions to reduce the validation time of complex valves and hydraulic systems by up to 50%

WORDS FROM SARA BALDONI, R&D MANAGER AT VIS HYDRAULICS

“The collaboration between VIS Hydraulics and SmartFluidPower began with a very practical need: to simulate the behavior of our valves under operating conditions that are often not clearly defined.

Since we mainly supply OEM suppliers, we don’t always have access to the final application details. This made it difficult to ensure, during the design phase, that the valves would perform optimally in every context.

That’s where the idea came from: digitally replicate our valves using dynamic, multi-domain simulation models. Together with SmartFluidPower, we developed advanced virtual models based on open-source software capable of representing not only hydraulic systems but also their interaction with electronic control systems—offering us greater insight and flexibility.

This collaboration has led to several concrete results:

• The creation of digital prototypes to simulate the performance of our components within complex hydraulic circuits

• The introduction of co-simulation, allowing us to work more directly and technically with the end users of our components by sharing models that simulate real-world operating conditions

• The development of a simplified interface, designed to make simulation tools accessible even to non-specialists, such as test bench technicians

This project represents a significant evolution for us: it allows us to improve design, anticipate critical issues, and involve the entire organization more effectively.

Looking ahead, simulation will also become a tool to optimize the sustainability of our processes—reducing waste, energy consumption, and material usage during development and testing.”

WHY THIS PARTNERSHIP IS SO IMPORTANT

The VIS Hydraulics R&D center is now the ideal testing ground to turn our virtual models into certified industrial solutions. From simulation to physical design, this alliance will also allow us to enhance our market offering with new models added to our libraries—giving users even more simulation options.

Together, we’ll bring ultra-efficient components to the market with reduced development cycles.

We strongly believe this vertical integration of digital know-how and experimental engineering will act as an innovation accelerator for the entire sector.

So, we’re extremely proud to welcome VIS on board. Ad maiora!

🔔 Stay tuned to see where this collaboration will take us!