At Trapl’s start-up Memo3, the team delivers develops advanced membrane-based process technologies. By combining technical, digital and business expertise, Memo3 helps industries — from food and beverage to the life sciences — achieve more efficient and sustainable production.
In this Q&A, Trapl speaks with Giuseppe Menin, Senior Director Manufacturing Industry at automation supplier COPA-DATA, about his vision for modular, software-defined automation, his experience applying MTP in practice and why these ideas are redefining how manufacturers innovate and grow.
Giuseppe Menin: Josef, could you please tell us what Memo3 does?
Josef Trapl: Inspired by the diverse, sophisticated membranes seen in nature, Memo3 develops innovative membrane-based technologies to separate and purify liquids and gases for production applications in a range of sectors, from life sciences to beverage manufacture. Our goal is to help these industries become more adaptable, efficient and sustainable. We support our customers from early laboratory trials through pilot demonstrations of membrane applications and up to the implementation of full-scale commercial plants.
Our strength lies in revolutionary technology and automation. Our projects range from dealcoholization systems for beverages to automation concepts based on open standards like Module Type Package (MTP) for the life sciences industry. What sets Memo3 apart is our ability to combine deep process engineering know-how with an entrepreneurial mindset, allowing us to move quickly from an idea to a fully realized practical outcome.
We recently collaborated on your dealcoholization skid. What does this module offer, and what innovations does it bring to the market?
The dealcoholization skid is a compact unit that allows breweries and beverage producers to gently and efficiently remove alcohol while preserving the taste and aroma of their products.
Its innovation lies in the modular plug and produce design, which enables seamless integration into existing production environments, quick scaling and minimal setup time. By following open standards like MTP, the system can easily connect with modern automation software, making it flexible today and adaptable for the future. Put simply, it blends advanced alcohol-removal technology with smart digital controls, giving beverage makers a dependable way to grow their range of non-alcoholic drinks.
You followed the concept of modular production when designing the automation of this module. Why is this approach important to you, and what benefits does it bring?
Modular production is quickly becoming fundamental to the future of the process industry. Moving away from rigid systems that are difficult to adapt, we develop plug-and-produce modules that can be scaled, combined or repurposed as the needs of an operation evolve.
This creates real agility, allowing companies to launch new products faster, respond quickly to shifting market trends and integrate new technologies without overhauling their entire production line. Through modular hardware with open standards like MTP, we move closer to the vision of software-defined automation — where production processes can be configured and adjusted just as easily as software.
MTP is a vendor-independent standard that enables modular production and plug-and-produce concepts. What has your experience with MTP been so far?
Our experience has been very practical and positive. MTP significantly reduces engineering effort and commissioning time.
Instead of spending weeks on integration and custom interfaces, the skid can be connected to different automation systems almost immediately. This not only saves costs during engineering but also shortens testing and optimization for faster, more cost-efficient solutions for customers.
Josef Trapl, Memo3
You are also co-chair of the Plug & Produce working group within ISPE Pharma 4.0 CoP. From the ISPE Pharma 4.0 perspective, what initiatives are being carried out in the field of modular production and MTP?
Our goal as a working group is to turn the concept of modular production into real, practical applications for the pharmaceutical industry. Working with partners, automation suppliers and standardization bodies, we are developing and defining best practices for GMP-compliant use, demonstrating real-world examples with modular skids and creating training and guidance to help companies adopt the approach quickly and with less risk.
From the ISPE Pharma 4.0 perspective, MTP is more than simply a technical standard. It is a way to give pharmaceutical manufacturers more flexibility, enable faster product changeovers and shorten time-to-market.
As an innovator, you decided to implement your module as an MTP-enabled Process Equipment Assembly (PEA) using a control system running on Windows IoT, combining HMI and PLC functionality. This follows the concept of so-called software-defined automation. Why did you choose this approach, and how has it been received by your customers?
We combined Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and programmable logic controller (PLC) functionality in one single platform to simplify both engineering and operation. This follows the software-defined automation concept, where control software defines the module’s behavior instead of relying on fixed hardware.
Customers have responded very positively. They have especially valued the reduced engineering and commissioning time, the ability to integrate modules quickly into different lines and the flexibility for updates and optimization over the module’s lifetime.
Which zenon software platform modules have you used in your project?
For the dealcoholization skid, we used zenon Service Engine for visualization, zenon Logic for control and zenon Analyzer for performance monitoring. Together, these tools give us an integrated environment that makes it easier to operate and optimize the module. This setup also supports our software-defined automation approach, keeping our skid flexible and future-ready.
Finally, how would you describe your collaboration with COPA-DATA?
Our collaboration has been excellent. The zenon platform and the tailored support we receive from COPA-DATA has allowed us to implement flexible, MTP-enabled modules quickly. Their practical guidance has made it easier to bring software-defined automation concepts into practice.
Josef Trapl’s journey shows how deep engineering know-how, standards like MTP and modern software platforms can converge to make modular production a reality. His work at Memo3, along with his active role in ISPE Pharma 4.0, highlights how cross-industry collaboration is helping process industries embrace flexibility, speed and innovation.
Thank you for the interview, Josef.
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