A company was established more than thirty years ago in the province of Bologna, which always focused on innovation and therefore on the search for new materials, new products, and new markets. We are in Minerbio and here is based the Gecam headquarters, with thirty people working for a turnover of 3 million euros. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Daniele Camisa, Chairman and partner of Gecam, for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
It takes a flair to grasp market developments. Or even more. To anticipate them. Now, the story we are about to tell starts precisely from this ability to arrive before anyone else. Pioneers, you might say. But also start-uppers, as in the American slang for those who tread unexplored paths by innovating and arriving first. That is, before competitors, before the market, before jurisprudence. Because in Emilia there is a company that makes a decision that has courage and goes against the tide. Already in the 90s, it voluntarily abandoned the widely used asbestos, four years before it became mandatory to do so, aiming for more environmentally friendly and also more expensive choices. But let's go in order. We are based in Minerbio, a town of less than ten thousand souls in the metropolitan area of Bologna. Here Gecam was established, committed to developing products obtainable with the ancient technology of the cutting die, then implementing the fleet of machines both in number and technology. This allowed the production of a vast range of objects, from plastic to metals, from felt to glass. This small revolution led to the great opportunity to enter a vast series of markets, responding to an extremely diversified demand. The entry of the owner's son Federico, a mechanical engineer, consolidated this trend, giving further reasons for development. «In a field where competition is increasingly fierce, we aim for the quality of Italian manufacturing and we are always proud to say that our suppliers are our neighbours.» This is what Daniele Camisa, chairman and partner of Gecam together with his wife Monica, who is the administrative director, and his son Federico, says.
Cutting-edge products. Today Gecam employs around thirty people with a turnover of around 3 million euros. «What sets us apart is the versatility of the product, which ranges from a gasket of a few millimetres to a debris retaining mat weighing more than a ton, from a rubber gasket to a plastic tube, right up to a felt filter or an aluminium stopper. All this combined with the desire to follow the customer even in requests for materials that are novel to us», says Camisa. To do, that is, to experiment, without stopping. But let's start with the machines, always set in motion by people. «Gecam is now able to offer high production standards, both in terms of quality, where it has equipped itself with sophisticated control equipment, and in terms of speed of response. The new logistics warehouse combined with the raw materials warehouse guarantees a good supply of materials so as to be able to guarantee a service, now tested and launched, of express delivery, that is, within 24 hours», says Camisa.
New products, markets, solutions. Now, what is surprising is the continuous research. Of markets, of materials. «We free ourselves from the sole production of gaskets: this gives rise to new products in the field of air filtration, sound absorption, electrical insulation and many plastic materials. The desire to improve is developed on two fronts: the purchase of new production technologies and the attainment of Quality certification. Back in 1996 we purchased the first water jet, a new machine for the time that gave a strong boost to production especially on the time front being able to produce products in very short times without going through the expensive mould of die-cutting machines. We have in plan to purchase over time another six water jets, creating a truly important fleet of machines», says Camisa. Meanwhile, more recently we have invested in the market of special plastics, such as polycarbonate and methacrylate. «The territorial identity remains, regardless of how global the market is: it is a matter of culture, of a know-how that has been built up over the years. The real question is: is territorial identity still a value in a now global market? For many types of products, this is no longer the case, but when it comes to service and to just in time, proximity is still perceived as an added value», concludes Camisa. Meanwhile, in the future, resilience and adaptability will count the most. And then the connection with what happens at a macro level, including at a European level. The prosperity or not of small Italian manufacturing will depend on what will be decided at an international political level.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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