In Maranello, an alliance between two historic companies gave rise to a leader in the construction of complete plants in the industrial process. From the treatment of raw materials to the preparation of the mixtures, from the transformation phases to the final choice. Tailored skills and technologies for each customer. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Roberto Magnani, CEO of Icf & Welko for FARE INSIEME.
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
Unity is strength. How many times have we said and written about it,
telling the extraordinary stories of Emilian companies that have decided to
roll up their sleeves, building on teamwork. And even more by networking.
Because in these connected years, accelerated and sometimes uncertain, those
who think out of the ordinary and think plural – that is, by networking – reach
unthinkable goals. In short, they scale success. Unity is strength, I was saying just now. And a concept has never
been so clear when writing and talking about Icf & Welko.
History over time. This young brand actually comes from far away
because it was born from the decades-long experience of two Italian industrial
automation companies active since 1961 and which have made history. Today the
two companies have come together in a single entrepreneurial project: thus, Icf
& Welko was born, which today employs about 75 collaborators for a 2022
turnover of 36 million euros and a 2023 forecast of 50. There is Icf, a leader
in mixture preparation systems. And there is Welko, specialised in the
production of presses and kilns for the ceramic industry. It all started in
2007 as a single reality, effectively active on all international markets. The
recipes for this success story? Important corporate governance, widespread
presence on five continents and a capital of knowledge that holds people and
technologies together, one linked to the other in a symbiotic alliance. This is
how the best plant solutions for every production context were born. Because
Icf & Welko – which over the years has also become a joint-stock company –
designs and manufactures complete, highly reliable, customised industrial
plants with specialist solutions for each stage of the process. We are in
Maranello, a town of less than twenty thousand souls south of Modena. An iconic
city known worldwide for that rumble emitted by the red Ferrari that everyone
knows. But here there is a concentration of knowledge, blended well with that
concept of doing business that turns
into creating a community. In fact,
Icf & Welko is at the centre of an innovative industrial district known for
its excellence: from automotive to ceramics and even food industry. A fabric of
skills and relationships that give that essential energy to always be
competitive anywhere in the world thanks to hi-tech installations. The
headquarters has been here since the 1970s. The company works in the machinery
and plant sector for the following districts: ceramics, food industry,
chemical, pharmaceutical and cookware. It has strong local roots, but since the
beginning of 2021 there has been even more internationalisation, with the entry
into 100% equity of the Chinese company Keda Industrial. «The vision is based on four key points:
listening to the customer, designing reliable solutions, building production
environments suited to the context, and obtaining performance and results. We
want to gain the trust of those who entrust us with their industrial plant
projects through a proactive service, tailor-made with maximum efficiency and the
best technological equipment, anywhere in the world and in every sector», says Roberto Magnani, CEO of Icf & Welko.
Company profile. A company that declines in the four natural
elements: water, air, earth, fire. Being water: adapting to specific needs
just like water adapts to the container. Being
air: building an environment suitable for the production in every context. Being earth: offering the solidity of
reliable solutions anywhere in the world. Being
fire: transforming projects into results, and results into successes. «Our credibility is based on a wealth of
skills and experience, testified by dozens of installations and success stories
for some of the most prestigious brands in the world in various industrial
sectors», says Magnani. But there is another element that
makes the difference. That is the difference on every job. Customisation that
is pushed according to the customer's needs. «We build
complete plants with specialist expertise in every single phase of the
industrial process. We offer technologies and solutions of absolute specialist
performance, from the treatment of raw materials to the preparation of the
mixtures, from the transformation phases to the final choice, which are
integrated in the efficient harmony of a complete line. No industrial plant is
the same as another. Our approach goes beyond the concept of the customised
industrial plant as it creates specific solutions designed on the basis of the
customer's business model and the performance required by its presence on the
market», concludes Magnani. Here comes the value of
uniqueness, that element that makes the Emilia-Romagna region great in the
world.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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