premium Italian products
The ATS is Mappi’s (
www.mappi.it) new horizontal glass tempering furnace.
Foremost among these shared experiences is each company’s
recognition that if it hopes to grow its business in the NAFTA countries—Canada, Mexico and the United States—it’s helpful to establish a presence in North America to provide after-sales installation, service and training. Also, it is clear that the more successful companies pay attention early on to global markets and spend time and money on innovation.
Clearly a Winner One of the bright lights in Italy’s machinery manufacturing in- dustry is the glass machinery sector. “Provisional 2013 statistics point to a robust pickup in
demand from overseas, particularly for flat glass [machinery],” says Renata Gaffo, general manager of the Italian Association of Glass Processing Machinery and Accessory Suppliers (GIMAV) (
www.gimav.it).
Statistics Support Gaffo’s Claims The 74 member companies in Gaffo’s association produced $1.6 billion worth of goods in 2012. The companies exported $1.2 billion worth of machinery and accessories, with 9%, or $109 million, going to NAFTA countries. The export market to NAFTA countries for glass-related machinery from GIMAV members increased by 10% in 2012 compared with 2011. Of these, exports to Mexico increased more than 14%, and shipments to the United States increased by 8%. “The Italian glass processing machinery manufacturers are well known over the world for their reliability and quality” says Gaffo. “Customer care is one of our main duties.”
After-sales service and customer care prompted Mappi
International Srl (Cisterna di Latina, Italy;
www.mappi.it) to establish Mappi North America, says owner Nancy Mammaro. Mappi, maker of furnaces for glass tempering and laminating, opened in Chicago in 2007, seven years after it sold its first furnace in the United States. Two years ago, Mappi opened a second United States location, in North Carolina, to help support the owners of the 60 furnaces sold to North American companies so far.
“If it’s an Italian machine, it’s noted for high quality,” says David Devenish, general manager for Fenzi North America (Toronto, ON;
www.fenzi-na.com). Fenzi North America is a subsidiary of Fenzi SpA (Tribiano, Italy;
www.fenzi.it), maker of spacers, desiccants, hot melt, polyisobutylene and other sealants for insulated glass, as well as mirror and other specialty glass paints. In fact, Devenish says Fenzi is the world’s largest producer of polysulfite, which is used to glue glass together. The “Q word”—quality—peppers Devenish’s conversation, whether he’s talking about Fenzi’s products or Italian machinery in general. For example, he cites the calcium carbonate his company uses to make polysulfite. He buys crushed marble from Vermont, although he could pay less for marble elsewhere. “We don’t cheapen,” he says. “I could buy cheap crushed marble, but it would be contaminated.” Another glass machinery manufacturer, Neptun Srl (Rovello
Poro, Italy;
www.neptunglass.com), focuses on technical innova- tion by dedicating more than 12% of its revenue to finding new ways of doing things. Neptun makes vertical NC work centers, au- tomatic loaders, vertical and horizontal glass washing machines,
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