It was born from a
brilliant intuition that broke with the status quo and has been an institution
since the 1970s. An identikit of the Norblast group which, together with
subsidiary Peen Service focused on R&D and boasting over 25 shot-peening
systems to provide services for third parties, boasts 75 employees and a
turnover exceeding €13 million, 5% of which is invested in R&D. In
addition, a joint venture was established in 2000 with Spanish company
Iparblast to which technologies have been transmitted to provide shot-peening
services to third parties on the Spanish market. For FARE Insieme, Giampaolo
Colletti interviews Remo Norelli, founder of Norblast
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
An old
Chinese proverb says that a sly rabbit will have three openings to its den.
After all, the story we are about to tell you follows exactly this vision.
Because it is not easy to swim against the tide, but it gives immense pleasure
when you succeed. There you have it, the entrepreneurial story of Remo Norelli
- an Italian genius and founder of what, in over 40 years, has become a global
giant when it comes to industrial sanding and shot-peening - who sums it up as swimming against the tide. Trying,
trying again, even making mistakes, but managing in the end. This is the philosophy
of Norelli, who was even appointed Knight (Cavaliere al merito) of the Italian
Republic in 2007. Everything was born in that Bologna of the 1960s-1970s, when
it became an attraction hub for mechanics, part of that Emilian district that
the world still envies us to this day. Norblast was established in Bologna in
1977. Everything started in a small garage of 80 sqm. But swimming against the
tide, though tiring, can multiply the spaces, opportunities and business. This
is what happened to Norelli, who developed a new process, that of sandblasting,
whose technical characteristics or consideration at the time meant it was
perceived as low-tech. “At the time,
people thought sandblasting would ruin the walls or bodywork. Time proved that
it was not true. For me, everything started from the experience gained in the
chip removal machine tool sector. At the time, this was the most advanced
technology available on the market. But I realised there was a gap when it came
to surface finishing, especially in the area of moulds. I started creating the
first small machine aimed at finishing and maintaining shoe sole moulds. We
ennobled a process that was at the time considered vulgar, involving low
technology, low control and heavily toxic and polluting. We abandoned the
profitable tool machine sector to dedicate ourselves to the production and
commercialization of our shot peening machines,” explains Remo Norelli, founder
of Norblast, a family business where the second generation is already at work
with Francesco and Stefano Norelli, busy with corporate and commercial
organization respectively.
Growth over the years. Not
everything took place in Bologna, though. Soon Norelli travelled all over Italy
and abroad clocking up kilometres, hopes and projects. “I have a lot of good
memories of when I used to drive all over the Ancona province with a truck and
a sample shot peening machine. At the time, a lot of rubber sole producers were
located there. How many kilometres and how many machines sold! I had such an
enthusiasm that, although I already had a business dealing with machine tools,
I decided to abandon this sector that provided certainty to fully delve into
this adventure and into the unknown,” stresses Norelli. He was not wrong, and
time proved him right. Today, Norblast Group boasts 75 employees with a
turnover that exceeds €13 million, 25% of which made abroad. What makes the
difference is the alliance with universities. Collaborations include that with
the Politecnico and the Universities of Milan, Trent, Bologna, Ferrara and
Pisa. The first automatic systems for the fashion and jeans sandblasting sector
arrived in 1989, followed the next year by those for the ceramic sector with
the decorative blasting of ceramic stoneware tiles. Then, at the end of the
1980s, there were the first processes to increase the fatigue resistance of
metals. Research is what led to growth. In 1990, once again as a pioneer,
Norblast gambled on internship contracts with the University of Bologna. “At
the time, the company was made up of twelve people and hiring a researcher with
the relative costs was a brave choice. Then, in 1995, we set up the R&D
department: a test centre with an area featuring various systems at the
disposal of clients. Because we offer solutions, not machines,” repeats Norelli
as a mantra. The importance that the group gives over to research can be
grasped from the budget: over 5% of the turnover to try and design the
solutions of tomorrow.
Present and future. Today, the giant ranges from the automotive to the aviation sector,
from food, pharmaceutical and biomedical sectors to Oil&Gas, composites and
foundry. “Over the past few years, the market has witnessed a growth of the
additive manufacturing sector to Industry 4.0 solutions. Today, connectivity
makes the difference: systems connect to corporate IT systems in a quick, easy
and intuitive manner and integrates the production flows already present thanks
to a team of software developers that listen to and analyse specific requests
and customise made-to-measure solutions,” says Norelli. The future aims at
reducing energy costs and managing and protecting the environment.
“Shot-peening and sandblasting systems are energy-intensive by nature, as they
use considerable quantities of compressed air. But together with Cubit, a
spin-off of the University of Pisa, research was set up to increase the
efficiency of one of our shot peening guns,” concludes Norelli. Once again,
looking towards the future while asking questions and trying to find new
answers. After all, it is the nature of innovators to swim against the tide.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
Leggi le altre interviste
