From Bologna to the other Italian production hubs. Profile of a company that has been leading other companies in their digital transformation paths for thirty years by combining skill, software development and knowledge of industrial processes. Boasting over 80 professionals and more than 900 clients, the model focuses on training, safety and system integration. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Mattia Macellari, partner and Sales Manager at Catamacro
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Milan, Turin, Treviso, Bolzano and Bologna: if you were to join these dots on a map, you would not only get a geography of different branches, but a precise idea of Italy. A country that thinks, and a country that does. It is also a country made up of SMEs that you cannot hear but that builds, a country that has learned that true innovation is not some theatrical gesture, but a combination of choices made day after day - method, rigour and continuity. Catamacro was set up within this network and intersects it like an essential infrastructure. Its presence in Bologna is a strategic one, because the city is located in the heart of the Emilian manufacturing system, a stone’s throw from the region’s main production and logistics corridors. Here, it works in close contact with industrial enterprises, mechanical supply chains and advanced logistics businesses. The company boasts over 80 professionals - mainly qualified technicians - and a portfolio exceeding 900 clients in the manufacturing, logistics, retail and services sectors. These figures tell the story of a company that has grown not by chasing fads, but by integrating skill. “What best describes us today is precisely the specialist skills that we have integrated. We are structured to tackle complex projects with organised teams, a clear governance and continuity over time. We can work on large and difficult projects, with different people who work well together and, most of all, we can make decisions in a consistent manner. Growth passes through here,” reports Mattia Macellari, partner and Sales Manager at Catamacro.
Company profile. Catamacro is proof that digital transformation is not a magic wand, but a protocol - a technology that acquires value only when it is no longer just being promised. And, in fact, its DNA comes from a long way away, from over thirty years of experience in system integration, ERP and CRM projects, and a deep understanding of the company processes of the Italian small and medium enterprises. Then there is the more recent evolution, not a shedding of the skin, but a change in structure. Integration of software development labs, investments in AI and computer security, a strengthening of its organisational capacity. “The most important thing is the integration of the labs that deal with software development. We are investing in AI and cybersecurity because we want to be a partner in ongoing innovation, not just a company that provides solutions,” says Macellari. We could say unity is strength - even on a semantic level. Because Catamacro was born out of the merger of two historic companies - CATA Informatica and Macro Group - which was first of all a cultural leap. “The vision remained the same, with a precise approach and a method focused on concrete results for our clients.
Training for complexity. In this multi-faceted story, the keyword is continuity. Uninterrupted innovation. Smooth introductions. Modernising without burning bridges. A lesson in industrial style - innovation as meticulous work, not as a revolution with a slogan. So, technology does indeed count, but it is not enough. The true value is in the ability to read it, integrate it and govern it in company processes. “In order to succeed today, you need to bring in concrete projects that work and are sustainable over time. The introduction of software development labs enables us to customise, modernise and integrate complex systems thereby guaranteeing continuity also concerning ERP legacies and factory systems: delivery turns innovation into actual value,” explains Macellari. In the meantime, local territorial presence makes it possible to get acquainted with the context, the processes and the people. Digital transformation is not just a question of technology: it needs someone to listen, to provide support, and it needs an ongoing presence. This finds its base in doing things together, as a company cannot be changed from the outside, it needs to be involved. That is also why the Academy was born, to train rather than to chase. “There is a structural lack of skill on the market, and we believe training is a strategic investment rather than a cost. Catamacro Academy builds up talent and spreads a culture of innovation capable of withstanding time. The most common mistake companies make when it comes to digitisation? They treat it as an isolated technological project. Digitisation is not an event, it is an complex ongoing journey that requires strategy, vision, as well as organisational and cultural change,” concludes Catamacro. When we speak of excellent organisations, it is not technologies that changes companies. After all, the best companies change when they have head in addition to heart. In addition to the ever-fashionable tactics, you need strategy, or even more, you need vision!
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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