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COMPANY PROFILE
It is important to be clear that Italmatic will provide service support for MGT’s previous clients. Italmatic brings its long standing experience and its reputation to MGT clients and the company is fervent about ensuring that service levels are maintained to Italmatic’s own high standards. Italmatic has invested a great deal in the OTR segment, including extending its remote technical support to include the OTR sector. The use of in-house software and hardware development means that Italmatic can provide stability in the supply of Information Technology (IT). Italmatic becomes a buffer between the IT sector and the retreaders, absorbing the constant development in the IT market and ensuring that when a client buys a computer controlled system today, the support for the system will still be available in ten years’ time, a critical selling point when IT is both so important to modern processes, but also so dynamic in its nature.
Obviously adding the MGT line to the existing manufacturing will require
space as the sector develops, and to this end there are plans to expand both at Cassina de’ Pecchi and at Lucca, with another 2,000 square metres of covered area being planned for both sites. This comes on top of the recent developments at Cassina de’ Pecchi where land was acquired and new stores and workshops were
built behind the original plant. Massimo explained that with an additional plot already bought, the new building would allow the company to efficiently reorganize the production of the machinery.
The acquisition of MGT’s technology also brought another new market segment to Italmatic, an important one according to Massimo. “We are using the MGT technology for aviation tyre presses and have developed the Boom 2000 for retreading aviation tyres. This new market will be met with new computer controlled buffing machines and MGT presses. This is something special for Italmatic and as the air transport sector grows, it will be an important market for us.”
In the truck tyre sector things have not been standing still either. The technical department at Italmatic has been working on two new projects – a fully computerised buffing machine for truck tyres and a second computerised version built to a lower cost for the Asian and South American markets. So, Italmatic will be able to offer two high quality
machines targeted at two different markets.
The challenge now for Italmatic is to spread the word about the range of products and services on offer. After all, it is possible to have the best equipment in the world, but if no-one knows about it then it isn’t going to sell.
Massimo added, “We are very optimistic about the retreading market because rubber prices are high and that is helping drive the market. It has become both convenient and economically viable to retread tyres. Demand for new plants has increased and the shortage of casings globally has also helped push the profitability of quality retreading.
“At the same time there has been a rationalisation of the market with many companies being absorbed by others, or simply closing down. That has created opportunities for us to expand our market share in retreading equipment.
“In January 2011, we decided to invest in the development of high performance retreading equipment because we want to be an important player in the equipment supply business.
“We have a good name and a good reputation as a supplier. We are stable and reliable and that is what clients want in their supply chain. So, we will be giving the market the best updated equipment using the latest available technology.
“Stephan Staico joined the sales team recently, and Stephan brings a wealth of experience and a broad range of relationships with the industry to Italmatic. It is difficult to find people with his range of experience and knowledge and he is helping Italmatic to develop the market with the best technology. He has brought a highly professional approach to our sales team.”
So, with all this development, all this growth at Italmatic, how will the company take its products to the market, how will the industry become familiar with the new products from Italmatic?
“We have a lot to tell people about, there is MGT; there are the new prototypes and the new opportunities for Italmatic. So, we will be planning a large display at Autopromotec in 2013 where we will display our new range of equipment for OTR and truck retreading, possibly something new
too.
“At Essen we will be spreading the word about the acquisition and development of MGT, we will be showing images and branding and we will have news of the aviation retreading developments, plus we will be presenting a new range of accessories and balance weights etc., for the trade.”
Asked about competition from Chinese manufacturers Massimo commented that competition always put pressure on the market. That it was correct that companies should consider all the complications but in the long term, he added, the costs in China were rising fast, labour costs were rising, materials, energy, all the factors that push prices were rising, driving up prices and making international competition less of an issue. Add to that the rising demand for quality and that too drives up costs. So ultimately, Massimo didn’t feel that the Chinese threat was one that held too much danger. He also pointed out that Chinese domestic demand was currently running high, and that detracted from the desire to export for many players. Why take on the added costs of export when you can sell at home? In the longer term, Europe would regain lost manufacturing as the playing field levelled off once more.
So, Italmatic, even though it has now opened an office in Beijing and has a long term presence in Asia through Italmatic Singapore, has no intention of manufacturing in China or India? Massimo, on this point was even more clear than before. “Italmatic is an Italian firm and it will remain an Italian firm manufacturing in Italy. It is important to retain 100 per cent control of production and that can only be done by operating in our home base”.
MGT 63 inch buffer