«Let me tell you how we became a global reference point in the production of industrial plastic laminates, while keeping our roots firmly planted in our community». Giampaolo Colletti interviews Simone Colombarini, administrator of Vetroresina, for FARE Insieme
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
This story begins in a garage, exactly like the iconic ones of Silicon Valley. But
in this story we are in an area to the east of Ferrara, to be exact, in Masi
San Giacomo, fewer than five hundred souls, the only hamlet of the municipality
of Masi Torello, on the main road that runs from Voghiera to Ferrara. Then, to
put it bluntly, success can be achieved in the US, but all thanks to brilliant
insights, lots of research, motivated human capital and the idea of never
stopping. However, this was and remains a marvellous story of Emilian
entrepreneurship and innovation. Vetroresina is an
industrial company engaged in the manufacture of fibreglass laminates used in the production of insulating
panels for refrigerator trucks and motorhomes. So, we are talking about
industrial plastic laminates, but not only. Structures characterised by their
light weight, versatility and resistance. We work with polyester resin reinforced with fibreglass,
with a view to personalisation.
Healthy
determination towards innovation
An entrepreneurial
gem with a revenue of 55 million Euro that exports its products throughout the
world. «Francesco Colombarini saw the so-called 'camionari’, i.e. manufacturers of heavy vehicles, using a slow and
very expensive method; so he made a few attempts in the garage until he entered
this market. At that time the market was hypothetically saturated but he went
to potential competitors and said: “You keep focussing on the trucks and we’ll
take care of the insulating panels” recalls Simone Colombarini, born in 1971,
Administrator of Vetroresina. With an honours degree in Materials Science and
Engineering from the University of Ferrara in his pocket and a craving to take
on the world. Always trying and never giving up, with that healthy
determination that is so typical of the people of Emilia and that moulds first
the people, and then the companies. This is how the resin and fibreglass panels
that keep food fresh were born.
From Italy to the
rest of the world
The story begins in
1968, a year that would become one for the history books. Just a stone’s throw
from the centres of the protest - Bologna to the fore - there was someone who
was working really hard. Then, with time,
the activity grew exponentially, reaching the United States and Brazil and
opening two plants. To be exact, in June 2000 the inauguration of the site in
the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Aim: to meet the needs of the South American
market. Eight years later it was the time of the new production centre in the
USA to better manage the needs of the North American market. Then, three years
ago, the expansion of the Italian plant, with five thousand square metres of
new spaces and an increase of 20% in overall production. So, the original garage near Ferrara became
an industrial shed, then a factory and now a hi-tech hub that employs around
100 people over three work shifts, six days a week. And that garage has now
become as big as the whole wide world. «The approach is the same as that of 1968; that is, close
to the customer to make the product more appealing. The customers know that
they can ask; that they will be listened to and that flexibility is our strong
point. Of the early days, the basis of the product with a cold-working
technology that still characterises us, remains. Over the years we have grown
in size and as we acquired new customers - such as motorhome owners - also the
companies we work with have changed. We have increased our production capacity and
industrialised a process that started out as a craft business, without losing
the competitive edge offered by craftsmanship. It’s true, we have
industrialised, but manual skills are still important. The people that
work in my company go beyond the definition of employee. We have become a real
family. Listening and building loyalty is the key», says Colombarini. That’s
why we have such a low turn-over even although our specialised experts are in
great demand on the market. One hundred
and sixty people now work at the Italian headquarters – between Masi San
Giacomo and Portomaggiore
– while there thirty in the United States and twenty in Brazil. Picking up the
thread of this great Italian story, Colombarini muses over the recipe for the
company’s success. «A single recipe
would be too simple and free for all. Every company, starting from its markets,
moves in its own way to improve the results. We
have always focussed on forging a direct relationship with the customers - on
their needs that we have to understand and even anticipate - and for us, who
began producing fibreglass laminates in 1968 for the refrigerator truck market,
the idea of improving has always been an obsession. But I believe that
in the drive towards continuous innovation we win together through ongoing
change: nothing is static and everything improves over time. In recent years we
have tried to understand how we can change the production cycle and the
product», says Colombarini.
Specialising to shine.
«We
only produce flat laminates made of Glass Reinforced Plastic, a composite
material consisting of polyester resin and glass fibres.. The combination of
these two materials results in a product with excellent mechanical
characteristics and chemical resistance. Fibreglass is easy to work, difficult
to damage and can be repaired at a low cost compared to alternative materials.
It is supplied in a roll with a thickness of between 1 and 3 mm and a length
that can reach up to 120 metres. It is used mainly as cladding for sandwich
panels. Our customers are mainly in the refrigerator trucks and motorhomes
sector. The refrigerator trucks that you see on the motorway basically come
from us», says Colombarini. There are four giants in this sector in Europe and,
today, the company is the leader in Italy and second on the American market.
The key lies in listening and proposing innovation: indeed, until fifteen years
ago, motorhomes were made almost completely of aluminium. «We began contacting the manufacturing companies and customers to
convince them to use fibreglass to make motorhomes with a more automotive look
and as an alternative to aluminium. And we succeeded». Doing well also means doing
good for the community you live in. Indeed, in a town with so few inhabitants,
everyone knows everyone else and that's why Vetroresina supports local sports,
culture and local events. And it also uses local suppliers, i.e. craftsmen and
companies that have services that can be useful and functional to the project,
creating a virtuous extended local economic district. Then there is the
improvement of environmental sustainability of the production activities by
using renewable energy sources. «Ten
years ago we installed a solar power system on the roof of the company: it
produces 1.25 megawatts of power with three cogenerators and allows us to be
self-sufficient for around 50% of the electrical power consumed. We have
invested in improving the production technology, also controlling the emissions
of styrene, the solvent used in the production of glass reinforced plastic.
Then, in 2018, we made our most important investment: we took over a 30%
shareholding in GEES Recycling from Aviano, a company that deals with
end-of-life or recycling of glass-fibre reinforced plastic. The material is not
technically recyclable but this company recovers fibreglass, grinding it and
using it along with other materials such as polyurethane to obtain a plastic
material that is similar to chipboard. It is an innovative project for the
recycling of industrial waste, fibreglass products at the end of their life and
thermosetting materials», says Colombarini. Buckling down to find recycling
solutions to build tomorrow's company. And so, what will the future be like? «We will achieve automatic distribution
of raw materials and improved waste recovery. Already today we do everything
internally and we have developed new production lines in Italy and America,
aiming to improve performance with an eye to the environment», concludes
Colombarini. Ultimately, the future is already here.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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