Just before Ligna, an update on the biggest Italian group, and a leading global player, in wood technology. It really looks like the industrial strategies of recent years are paying back…
A broad smile that speaks, full of energy in these intensive weeks. Ligna is behind the corner, global markets demand utmost attention and − let’s say it − at Scm Group there is a lot to do.
So, it’s normal that Luigi De Vito welcomes us with the desire to tell what has been done, what is being done and what will be done. And he goes straight to the point: “I came to Rimini a couple of years ago, but it’s been such an intensive time that I feel as if I had been here forever!”. Luigi De Vito knows the industry. He joined the Rimini-based group in 2012, just the time to settle down and he quickly took up the role of Machinery Division manager.
THE PAST
“This economic period has also had positive effects”, he said.“First of all, we have become more aware of the value of our customers, from every point of view, and the importance of everything we do for them, from product to distribution, up to the value our technology helps generate.
We too, like our customers, have been working on cash flows in these years, on cost optimization, on continuous technology improvement; such changes have made us stronger.At the beginning of 2014 we completed the industrial plan that Scm Group had launched several years ago and carried on with consistency and courage, thinking in the medium and long term:we have reorganized production and markets, taken major technological steps to expand our range of midrange and high-end working centers, edgebanders and panel saws, completed the range of Dmc sanding machines and further expanded the portfolio of dedicated technology for surface “treatment”, an excellence of our group I want to highlight.
We are now ready to face a new expansion cycle making real investments for customers.
In detail, I can tell your readers that Scm Group has strengthened its market leadership and has grown further and very profitably; the medium-high range of cells and lines for big customers has been consolidated; we had excellent feedback from the finishing business with the Superfici brand, recording 70 percent growth in this segment.
Deep expertise in every process, providing customers with the most advanced lines as well as conventional technology has recently enabled us to win a big order, worth 15 million Euro, from a big Chinese industrial group.Turnkey plants – high-automation lines but also traditional machinery – installed in three manufacturing sites, one for furniture production, one for hollow-core door production and one for painting operations.
I would also like to add that window machining centers are bringing great satisfaction beyond the “usual” markets, especially in China, where we have closed a major order that actually makes us a reference partner for this technology in this market, a very important customer reference for us, that will drive our future growth.We are still the second player in the American market, one of the most important in the world, where we have achieved 40 percent growth with machining centers and finishing, and good results with different materials from wood”.
THE FUTURE
“That’s what has happened so far”, continues the di Scm Group Machinery Division manager. “Let’s come to the future now, to our future plans.First, the market:we will increase our investments in regions that are getting more and more important, without overlooking the marketplaces where we have always been recognized as leaders.
In Russia we have the best distribution network; in Brazil we have 90 agents that cover all the regions of that huge country.I won’t deny we have a big interest in the Middle East, where we have new offices in Dubai, and in South-East Asia, with a new subsidiary in Malaysia.
We are also strengthening our solid organization in North America with a new showroom and logistic center on the West Coast, to deliver effective products and services in a region where we generate most Scm Group revenues in the Usa.We are closing a major partnership in Austria, a top destination for our portfolio of handicraft machines, a business where we are leaders in Europe and around the world in terms of volumes, quality and value.Austria is important also for technology for the production of timber houses, an industry where we expect interesting growth rates, up to 10 percent.We acquired significant customers quite some time ago, industrial organizations who need a supplier of suitable “size”.We believe that in the wood construction business, the presence of a big group is a strong added value.I do believe that, with Routech and the working center “Oikos” first of all, we will provide this market with very, very attractive solutions…”.
And what about “other materials”?
“Today we can guide our customers through the selection of the most suitable configuration to process plastics, composites, lightweight materials for high-tech industries and constructions.It’s a major business, where we are doing well with some of our brands; I am referring to Celaschi, an established leader in the processing of polyurethane and cement fiber.Last year we delivered a major Celaschi order to Australia, a two-million-Euro plant for cement fiber.Polyurethane is equally interesting and dynamic, without forgetting metalworking that involves Dmc and its capacity to process surfaces made of other materials than wood and wood-based materials.
In the United States we have set up a dedicated organization and team for plastic sheet processing, which is now developing a sales network to approach that market as specialists”.
What about big plants?
“We have a number of valuable customer references for which we are implementing special programs.There are a few very specific projects:I mean customers who are not only looking for innovative products, but for suppliers that bring innovation in every aspect of their business, including customer relationships, communications, service, process organization.
In this kind of relationships, Scm Group has one additional trump against competitors:our group offers specialists and all-round expertise in woodworking and beyond; our technological integration enables us to manage production processes successfully, meeting every requirement, no matter how complex or diversified, in a flawless way.We are one-stop partners for customers, this translates into shorter cycle time, smooth relationships, constant development of know-how.Solid warranties for those who make massive production investments”.
You mentioned the communication topic…
“Communication is another activity that is becoming more and more important”, De Vito says. “Communicating means being in the places where our customers live:not only exhibitions, magazines or printed media, but also web, social media, forums, where our customers inform themselves and increasingly open and close deals, with more and more people negotiating, buying, selling…We will have to be innovative and pay attention to this as well, generate technology for sales and purchase platforms that are really easy and safe to use.The Internet is the place where you communicate, exchange information and also identify the value of the product you are talking about.I repeat, you must be vigilant and consistent, identify the world regions where this is a “strong” and essential vehicle, creating clear and selective messages, a web marketing action that helps us bind the customer to us.
This is our way of “changing skin”, it’s the area we are investing in, our new direction to build an organization that assigns great value to people:on one side product and process specialists, on the other people with a deep knowledge of many markets and customers around the world.An all-new vision is our goal:we have tools, instruments, passion to give the market what it demands.
With a big strength that distinguishes us, namely a sense of belonging, not only from a technological standpoint:we believe in what our group has to offer, in the technology we can transfer to our customers, in the know-how and knowledge we propose!”.
We must add you are the only ones with such a wide portfolio: how are you managing it in this changing scenario?
“The portfolio is wide because our customers need many technologies for their production processes.Our aim and our plus is the capacity to master the entire process, with our specializing brands and specialists.
By focusing attention on each specific technology, we can understand what we have to do, address our efforts and investments according to clear priorities.We have a full overview of our business, however complex and articulated:we know where to act and how.All Scm Group companies have a distinctive dna and we have to highlight their value as part of a team, of Scm Group.Our group is a reliable partner for customers:it is a synonym for history, popularity, reliability, recognition, capacity to meet commitments.Stefani or any other “brand” represent the capacity to solve specific problems, providing special technical skills.The size of a group like Scm, standing behind specialist brands, creates a winning combination within a brand strengthening strategy we are carrying on.
We will approach the market as one group offering industry-specific solutions, from joineries to big industries.This will be one of our key priorities:each time we stand in front of a customer, we will be able to give an answer consistent with his specific requirements and process, a solution that guarantees a return on the investment”.
Mr. De Vito, who will be successful in the future? What’s the destiny of woodworking technology suppliers, in your opinion?
“Big industries will look for few selected partners, fewer and fewer, very strong and able to provide alternatives.This will be the “high end”, where customers demand innovation and efficient and consistent service throughout the lifecycle.
In handicraft and small-medium businesses, the topics will be not only product innovation, but also channel innovation, increasingly versatile machines that can offer new opportunities, enabling vendors to get in touch with customers in a different and more stimulating way:the first to innovate this specific market segment, those who will better leverage the new platforms, they will have a big competitive edge.In my opinion, this is the area where companies will have to play most of their trumps in emerging markets.My final consideration is that I expect more selection:the industry is growing, but it will be more selective and someone will be left behind…”
“Innovation and quality will be the two pillars of success”, De Vito says. “It’s up to us to be able to respond to and constantly improve the process of our customer.We have to understand and develop, we are “market people”, meaning that we constantly interpret our customers’ requirements, but we are also great manufacturers.The solidity of our manufacturing process means quality; the strength of our sales and product development operations means innovation, and the combination of both…”.
by Luca Rossetti
Luigi De Vito: here is Scm Group!
ultima modifica: 2015-04-28T00:00:00+00:00
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