Flexibility and dynamism of craftsmen, but with numbers of a consolidated company. This is the story of Logimatic, a Bolognese excellence with a turnover of 32 million euros. «Everything we have at home comes from automatic machines. Machine shops are no longer the gloomy places of twenty years ago, but they are full of technologies. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Andrea Zaccari, CEO of Logimatic srl for FARE INSIEME
di Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
In the stormy sea, one must never stand still. This is the sailor’s winning strategy. Easy to say, harder to do. Because when you are in the middle of a storm, the tendency is to freeze. It is a natural instinct. Instead, the market always and obsessively asks for one thing: to change. In fact, what we are about to tell is a story of change that starts with the people, it embraces a community, and involves innovative technologies and products. This is how Logimatic was born as far back as 2004, a production service company for the mechanical engineering industry, specialising in the construction of automatic machines for third parties. These are hi-tech and hyper-specialised products delivered turnkey. Because these champions of the mechanical engineering are able to produce a machine from scratch by taking care of the mechanical assembly, electrical wiring, software installation and also by thinking about the testing. The team manages a short and close skill chain. To date, Logimatic has a turnover of 32 million euros and has 85 employees. The headquarters is a hi-tech jewel that also integrates environment awareness. We are in Ozzano dell’Emilia, a town of fifteen thousand inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Bologna and the beating heart of that “packaging valley” known throughout the world. «Our DNA is a molecular sequence that includes various elements: professionalism, integrity, the ability to relate to the various unknowns of the market, and adapt to the needs in a changing context», says Andrea Zaccari, CEO of Logimatic, 49 years old, born in Bologna and trained in that school laboratory, which has been forge of excellence and that has seen dozens of brave captains churn out over the decades, namely the Aldini Valeriani Institute. «The truth is that I was not a great technician, so I began to weave industrial relations and to dream big», recalls Zaccari.
Changing to shine. Everything we have at home comes from an automatic machine. They know this well in Logimatic. Their first automatic machine produced on commission for IMA SPA was used to pack tea bags, but the “challenge” masterpiece was to create 70 machines to pack the face masks for the Civil Protection right in the middle of the pandemic. In fact, Logimatic is the plastic representation of how you can innovate with perseverance, courage, determination and passion. And the compass in this case is always geared towards change. «We must not remain fixed on our ideas that become convictions, but change our structure over time, adapting it to the needs of the market. We have done it several times», explains Zaccari. After all, this "superpower" of adaptation can be read in the professional evolution of the people who make up the team. Before we were only assemblers of mechanical components, then the market required a broader professionalism linked to production: this is how an internal subcontracting network was structured. «Doing simple things in a long time is no longer possible. There is a complexity of the context. That's why we do more difficult things in shorter times today. The key is to adapt the supply chain to problem solving», says Zaccari. In the production line, management engineers and mechanical experts work side by side because - as Zaccari reiterates - you must never lose contact with the product. And then people must be trained, involved, even cuddled. «They are the most precious resource of a company. Individuals enter the company even from the Lower Sixth. It is a way to bring them closer to our world. Our work is the best in the world. Machine shops are no longer the gloomy places of twenty years ago, but are crammed with new technologies», says Zaccari proudly. The current Logimatic comes to life from a small craftsman company specialising in the assembly and overhaul of automatic machines. Flexibility and dynamism of craftsmen, but with the numbers of a company. A difficult balance to achieve. But here the extraordinary becomes standard. On the other hand, the company inherits more than 40 years of expertise, but brings with it that agile and flexible vision of an ever-changing market. Thus, there is an exponential growth that leads to a significant increase in the number of human resources with an average age of 35 years old trained in the key concept of change: yes, we can.
Sustainable and hi-tech spaces. From people to spaces. These too multiply, in the name of technology and sustainability. The building covers 12 thousand square metres, up to 7 thousand are for the mechanical assembly and over 4 thousand for the storage of materials. All this allows to develop 100,000 hours of mechanical assembly every year and to carry out over 400,000 stock movements every year. Thus, the warehouse becomes a centralised hub capable of supplying all the production departments of the group. And the headquarters is equipped with ten fast charging stations for electric vehicles. Not to mention the clean energy that comes from the 644 photovoltaic panels installed and that in 2021 alone produced 250 thousand kWh, practically about a quarter of the company's total energy needs. «We have tried to computerise and industrialise the processes, putting young minds to work together with those who have acquired competence and professionalism over the years. We have tried to integrate a management system that tends to be strict, making it flexible, also thanks to advanced technologies», explains Zaccari. Insights that become scalable. Henry Ford also claimed it: "Given a good idea to start with, it is better to concentrate on perfecting it than to hunt around for a new idea".
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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