A company founded by three friends linked with the foundry world in Modena in the 1970s, which went on to became a point of reference in Italy for the processing and commercialization of metals People and technology - with clients at the centre. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Marco Maletti, Sales Director at Commerciale Fond.
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
Changing to
shine. After all, the story we are about to tell you is that of a dream come
true, but also of the ability to make a company evolve by sensing the change
under way. A bit like diviners who tried to find water or metal strands in the
subsoil using a typical forked branch ever since the dawn of time. The example
is fitting, as the story deals with the trade of metals for the industry.
Profile of a company. For
Commerciale Fond, everything started in Modena in 1974. In the beginning,
however, the company was supposed to trade foundry machines and cast iron bars
produced with continuous casting. Then, in 1989, it started trading non-ferrous
metals such as aluminium, bronze, brass and copper. It basically shifted its
activity to only the trade of metals. A way to evolve in the sign of
continuity. A way to stand out in increasingly connected markets. “At the time, the overhaul and
commercialization of used foundry machinery was linked with the specific
expertise of one of the founders. The situation was different for the
commercialisation of cast iron bars produced with continuous casting, a truly
innovative product at the time as it had been produced and introduced into the
Italian markets less than 10 years before, meaning a lot had still to be
discovered. The relationships with the mechanical workshops interested in this
products soon made us understand that that was the road we needed to take to
meet market needs. So, urged on by the requests of our clientèle, already in
the mid-1980s we started to gradually complete the range of semi-processed
products available by introducing extruded and laminated aluminium, followed by
bronze and all the other materials and, at the
start of the 1990s, we introduced what can be defined as the most ‘extraneous’
product part of our range, i.e. Steel casting using the ‘Lost Wax’ method that
enables the attainment of extremely complex castings that would not be possible
using other methods,” proudly recalls Marco Maletti, Sales Director at
Commerciale Fond. But there is more. Do you remember that sensing capability we
mentioned? Well, after listening to its clients, the company also started
introducing pre-processing such as the custom cutting of all the material
commercialized, so much so that it came to occupy a leading position in Italy. “We are still convinced that, in
order to stand out on the market, you need to provide a high-quality service
and listen to needs, making it possible for clients to dedicate themselves
fully to their processing operations and improve the performance of their
machinery,” stresses
Maletti. Therefore, in addition to continuously improving the custom cutting of
bars and plates, the company also introduced bar milling, piercing and peeling
services, without forgetting the selection of suppliers capable of guaranteeing
the best quality available on the market. The first branch in Cernusco sul
Naviglio (Milan) was added in 2001, followed by that in San Mauro Torinese in
2015 and the one in Albignasego (Padua) in 2017. Today, the company is made up
of around 80 employees and agents for a turnover of just under €40 million.
People and technology. Human
capital, innovative systems, sense of community and culture. This is the recipe
for success. “Of course
companies are made up of people, but needless to say, these people work using
the most efficient and innovative equipment. Then, as we are traders, working
together with our accredited suppliers is essential to be able to guarantee the
best quality available on the market,” says Maletti. For this experienced sales director, the most
difficult moment in many years of work was COVID-19. “During those long months, we were force to reduce our
activities to avoid contagion, but at the same time we needed to guarantee
services to those companies that required producing primary goods, which was
extremely complex,” reports
Maletti. In 2024, Commerciale Fond will celebrate its 50th anniversary. But
everybody still feels young here and still yearns to grow. “We have just faced a first
generation handover and we are rejuvenating the team by pairing up young
employees with our senior collaborators to combine experience with the typical
skills of young graduates so as to help Commerciale Fond keep up with the
times,” concludes Maletti.
Once again, the success of the best organizations stems from an idea of change
that rests firmly on the legs, head and heart of the whole team, no one
excluded.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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