Eco-friendliness, cleanliness and safety - these are the three pillars
of this fast-paced agile Emilian company dealing in mixing machinery and
solutions. The company is located between Cavezzo and Medolla and boasts a
turnover of €12 million a year, with a growth forecast of €18 million in the
next three years. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Gianpietro
Caldarola, General Manager at Mix
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
Nomen omen, the Latin expression
used to say. And the name of this Emilian company does indeed enclose its
destiny. Because Mix is entirely focused on mixing and on industrial systems
for grain, fibre and paste products, i.e. machinery that help process powders.
But that mix can also be found in the team of founders who decided to do
something and set up the company. Everything started with three men who had
experience in the field and decided to establish their own business from
scratch to leave their mark on the territory. The company now boasts a turnover
of €12 million a year with a growth forecast of €18 million in the next three
years. 2021 was a record year when it came to orders, especially in the food
and feed sectors. Then there are the plastic, chemical and building sectors
with machines to mix powder products destined to colouring too. Plus the
cosmetic sector. Regardless of the industry, the approach is what makes the
difference. “There
are many manufacturers of machines and solutions for mixing or filtering in the
world. We have to compete with giants. But we make customised products and have
smaller volumes than our competitors. This is often exactly how we win against
them,”
explains Giampietro
Caldarola, General Manager at Mix and sales manager for the company between
2009 and 2012. He went back in 2020.
The earthquake and a new beginning. Mix was established in 1990 on the border
between Cavezzo and Medolla, twenty-five km from Modena. The headquarters
covers an area of 22 thousand square metres and employs 80 people. Then there
are branches in Germany and India, the latter featuring a sales department and
a workshop. The
market of reference is essentially European, though sales are made as
far as Australia. But let’s return to Italy and, more precisely, to Emilia. The
company is located in that part of the region that has had to deal with the
tragedy of an earthquake, but which then made the whole world witness its
resilience and courage when dealing with difficult situations. “It was a
difficult time. All our three main warehouses were damaged, so we moved to
Modena for a year. In just one year, we completely rebuilt our facility thanks
to the Mix staff and, in 2020, we extended adding a fourth warehouse,” stresses
Caldarola. This is how they look to the future: the attention is focused on
finishing certified machinery featuring advanced technology and systems that
are easy to clean and sterilize.
In the name of co-creation. For Mix, its second life began in the name of environmental impact and
challenges. This is what clients ask for today. Making this a correct
evolution, not just a necessary one. “We shifted to a more demanding market, one
used to a very high level of quality. Nowadays, the fundamental pillars are
eco-friendliness, cleanliness and safety. We became part of an association of
companies that envisaged the design of increasingly clean and state-of-the-art
machinery, eco-friendly machines that used less energy. After all, if you
manage to make more efficient filters and use less compressed air, you are
saving energy,” says Caldarola. Making it possible to save time on top of
saving energy - a winning equation at this moment in time. But research is
needed to tackle new challenges. So we have a mix of skills too, as both
engineers and chemists are working on different products forming part of
stainless steel machines. Try and try again to finally truly make it. Mix
believes in this. That is why we have a working team dedicated to R&D and
an internal laboratory to also experiment with clients as well, who come to our
facility to test product mixes. A part of open testing. “The challenge is
entirely linked to co-creation, because it is as if company projects are carried
forward together. In this way, with this testing phase, clients understand the
work we do and we define our path together,” explains Caldarola who, over the years,
has seen the reactivity and proximity to clients remain unaltered despite the
assistance becoming remote, thanks to always-connected webcams. Once again, the
future is seen through the name of experimentation. In 2019, the company was
purchased by Assietta Private Equity. It is just a step that is part of an
expansion that includes multiple organizations and that goes beyond classic
corporate boundaries. In fact, Assietta Private Equity has decided to stake its
future on the acquisition of a cluster of companies that work within the same
field and which includes Comav, a firm from Ferrara that has been manufacturing
machinery for the handling of loose materials for over forty years. The company
was acquired in 2021, leading to new possibilities of exchange and growth. “Our
intention is to expand the range with innovative mixing and filtering methods.
But the new markets must be tackled thanks also to the strength of diverse and
motivated groups,” concludes Caldarola. This is the winning recipe to tackle
contemporary challenges, which necessarily include alliances. After all, you
can only win - and grow - together.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
Leggi le altre interviste
