The roundtable at the Teatro Imperiale in Montecatini Terme, organized by Verinlegno in occasion of its 40th anniversari.
Internationalization, research and development, eco-friendly products, economy and finance were
the topics which gave life to the roundtable entitled “The Paint Industry, innovation and global
vision”, organized by Verinlegno spa to celebrate its first 40 years of enterprise. The main
participants which joined the Verinlegno Cda in the debate, held on February 20th, 2015, were:
Vittorio Maglia, economic analyst and internationalization from Federchimica; Matteo Aglio
director at Avisa Federchimica; Federica Landucci, president of the Industrial association of
Pistoia; the professor Mauro Marchetti, director at the Biomolecular Chemistry Institute of the Cnr
in Sassari; the congressman Edoardo Fanucci, of the Chamber of Deputies. The roundtable was
presided by Andrea Biondi journalist at “Il Sole 24Ore”.
Forty years of attentive creation of our products, of product innovation research, of adjustment to
the changed parameters of both the economy and the society. Verinlegno continues to bring its
excellence to Italy and to the world since its founding in 1975, and today it looks with confidence
and renewed commitment to the future challenges of the marketplace. With this roundtable the
company aimed to open itself to the context in which it operates and make the over 300 participants
of the event (employees, clients, suppliers, Italian and international collaborators, local authorities
and administrators) fully aware of it.
THE CONTEXT
Vittorio Maglia, economist at Federchimica, cites John Donne in saying that: “If no man is an
island entire of itself, but it’s a piece of the continent, a part of the main – as written by the famous
English poet – imagine a business enterprise”. Every company is part of the scenario in which it
operates. A context that finds its best interpreter in the highest representative of an over 2000 years
old institution: “We are not living an era of changes, but rather a change of an era” as stated by
Pope Francesco, making everyone aware that we are experiencing changes from which we can
never turn back. It’s essential then, from the viewpoint of a company, to go beyond the geographic
concept of globalization (the world as a marketplace) and thoroughly understand that:
“Globalization has become an explosive phenomenon from the moment the time required for the
exchange of information has been reduced. A chinese company today can have the same assets,
information, technology and qualified manpower that we have” That makes it necessary –
maintains the economist – to go from imitation to innovation: “Because if the life cycle of the
products becomes very short, we need to move faster and faster, even to just remain still.” In this
situation, as written by Michael Porter (“The competitive Advantage of nations”) the competition is
not just among firms, but among countries. Because: “If a Chinese company and a German one
have the same abilities, what makes the difference in working in China, Germany or Italy is the
system of a country, the cost of energy, the infrastructures, the regulations at the European, national
and regional level”…If you know what I mean.
ECONOMIC TRENDS
Maglia continues by clarifying the analysis: “Today, after the epochal crisis of 2009, the primary
balance between income and cash outflow of the Italian government is in the black, and we are the
second country in Europe with an active balance on the public scale. Unfortunately we have the
burden of interest. The effort to obtain the trust from the international institutions has been
enormous and therefore, at job done, we can suffer less restrictions. We are in a pretty good
situation. Favorable conditions also derive from the monetary politics of the European Central
Bank, which has put more currency in the system, thus decreasing the value of the Euro. Add to this
the favorable situation resulting from the oil price slump. There are therefore the conditions for
growth”, as shown by the balance of the commercial scale, in the black by 83 billion, excluding the
cost of energy. After Germany, there is us. Timely analyses say that even our exported products are
of quality, innovative thanks to the great effort for innovation, an effort that is no longer on a day by
day basis but rather increasingly founded on research. Therefore, concludes Maglia: “We are able to
seize growth” In this great challenge, he who has full awareness of the radical change of
consumptions and consumers, wins. In concluding his analysis Maglia quotes Giorgio Squinzi,
current president of Confindustria: “We need to go farther to anticipate the clients’ needs. And
chemistry is the ‘turbo’ of the ‘Made in Italy‘” If method innovation is available to everyone, the
industrial districts can only continue to grow with the innovation of products which comes from
chemistry: varnishes, plastics, auxiliary products; this is why chemistry is the turbo of the Made in
Italy.
RESEARCH AND PRODUCT INNOVATION
If product innovation is the main key for the future, who better than the director of the Biomolecular
Chemistry Institute of Cnr in Sassari can illustrate the state-of-the-art. “What’s the use of public
research – wonders in his premise the professor Mauro Marchetti – if it doesn’t cooperate with the
productive substratum?” And concludes: “It’s not of much use; unfortunately this collaboration is
not an idyllic one and all too often different languages are spoken” Instead it’s necessary to enter
into a new reasoning and learn to take advantage of the available high competences, those of the
Cnr as well as those of the University as demonstrated by the high recognitions from all over the
world and from international publications: “We have, as Cnr, scientific competences, important
equipment, branches all over Italy and about 20000 researchers (10000 of whom in training)” It’s
imperative, according to Marchetti, to go beyond a logic that tends to copy the know-how studied
and applied by others. “If we want to run twice as fast, know-how has to be created and applied at
home, in order to grow in competitiveness. And above all, it’s necessary to do it moving toward an
eco-friendly chemistry. In this direction: “Now is the time to look into the paints – Marchetti
continues – of the so-called chemical boxes capable of opening on command, measuring their
release by time control, to improve the performance of the products, especially in terms of their
noncorrosive capacity, but not only that. Some paints of this type, based on nanotechnology, are
already known and in use, but many others are just waiting for somebody willing to realize them”
AVISA’S ROLE
Matteo Aglio, director of Avisa, an association of paint firms, has identified, in the current
context, what Avisa’s contribution could be. “We set out from an established assumption” Aglio
says: “Running a chemical company is not easy. We need to be able to tackle over 2000 rules and
also guidelines, regulations, decrees, newsletters. We need to be able to understand legislative
recommendations, not always clear, often contradictory, that change from region to region, from
nation to nation” All of this happens in local contexts in which “Negative preconceptions persist.
The chemical plant is often seen as a mysterious place, where it’s not clear what exactly is being
produced.” Chemistry is negatively tagged even though, as Aglio says: “The chemical industry has
had the least number of accidents in both 2014 and 2013… and has been the safest industry in
years.” Federchimica, which represents 1400 firms, with about 90000 agents and its 17 trade
associations, such as Avisa, “is and wants to be, first of all, a team which safeguards all the
associates’ common interests, but it’s also a place where one can find instant replies. This shows an
ability to recognize critical situations that can be shared even with competitors because facing the
same problems.” And so Avisa becomes, according to Aglio, a point of reference able to offer
innovative ideas and opportunities fitting the new era.
VERINLEGNO
Incentives, analyses and solutions offered at the roundtable are part of Verilegno’s history, proof of
a desire for innovation that was set up, in fact, since the beginning, as the company president and
co-founder Antonio Bartoli says: “Verinlegno has never followed the road of mass production, but
has always had a niche approach, with sales that tended to find solutions to its clients’ problems, in
wood painting. A choice – Piero Marchetti added – rewarded by the fact that we have always
known paints very well, and still do; in fact we were born stained with paint and because of this the
competition has regarded us with respect since the beginning, despite our small size. We couldn’t
put ourselves at the multinational level, they would have eaten us up in three days, and so we
always moved toward very innovative products and custom-made paints for our clients. Because
every client works in a different way.” This evolution was not at all certain, in the face of
increasingly pressing norms. Experimental quality, born and applied on the field, has become over
the years, with the contributions of many young collaborators, chemical analysts, researchers and
external contributions, the contemporary excellence that opens itself to the world. “In the year 2000
– says Sante Zandò – Verinlegno began to study and produce innovative water-based and
environmentally advanced products. The decision to go abroad arises from the evolution of the
market and from the awareness that research done here in Italy was producing an added value that
we could export, at first to countries in the Mediterranean area, then to Eastern Europe etc. Today
we are present in over 40 countries, bringing forth our innovations, which result from a synergy of
lab-work and commercial strategy. A virtuous network made possible by the fact that our paints
dress furniture, an Italian excellence, first and foremost in the world. This has allowed us to face
any market with quality products of great value.” Claudio Lelli descends into the basic everyday
needs: “The reality of each day – says Lelli, a Cda member – shows that we have lost a method of
payment, checks. Basilea, regulations for anti-laundering and traceability, while understandable,
have unfortunately deprived the economy of normal methods of payment, without providing any
new ones. In 2008 46-47 percent of the Gdp circulated through checks, the majority of which were
postdated (Source Sole 24Ore). It was a sort of credit line. Today our clients are in need, and the
economy feels the need of new forms of payment, of something in between the ancient promissory
note and the check.” Between innovation and economic trends, Lelli went on: “We can truly say
that our politicians haven’t had a global vision, at least so far.” “Verinlegno’s global vision –
concluded Lelli – resides in having first dreamed, and then wanted, a manufacturing firm and an
ever-growing industry. Decisions, strength, strategies and energy were combined with constant
team work and ‘ant’ logic, and it all worked out. Let’s hope, I’m convinced that the future is the one
suggested at this roundtable and we are ready to face the challenges that await us, but the
institutional, administrative and legislative context must also play its part.”
The paint industry:
innovation and global vision
ultima modifica: 2015-04-27T00:00:00+00:00
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