A company was set up in Modena in the postwar period that, over time, has become a giant in the production and commercialization of hydraulic solutions - pumps and motors featuring aluminium and cast iron gears, flow dividers, and modular and single-piece directional valves. It looks to the world, but the connection with the territory is pivotal. For FARE INSIEME, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Angelo Pucci and Guido Leo, respectively Managing Director and Engineering Coordinator at Salami
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Curiosity has its
reason to exist. Albert Einstein used to repeat it like a mantra. And curiosity
is pivotal in the story we are about to tell, because it is the key that
enables to open unthinkable doors, helping a company from Modena conquer the
whole world. But let's proceed in an orderly fashion. Everything started with a
young and bright technician. During the first postwar period, Giuseppe Salami,
egged on by that curiosity that characterized him, started to analyse the war
equipment left behind by the Americans. He did more than that, actually. He
studied the parts and circuits that formed part of the hydraulic systems of
tracks and turrets. Giuseppe Salami’s intuition was to use this technology in the
products for civil applications Italy needed for its reconstruction. No sooner
said than done. The first solutions included a gear pump to raise and lower the
plough of an agricultural tractor, which automated a manoeuvre that, up until
that moment, operators had to carry out by hand, climbing down from the tractor
before starting with a new section. His passion for knowledge led him to
develop directional valves as well, which were employed in the first
earthmoving machines as well as in agricultural tractors. This is how the
indomitable strength of curiosity feeds entrepreneurship.
Company profile. Salami was founded in 1956. It is a Hydraulic business with its
headquarters in Modena and employs over 100 people, operating on the global
market with an export-oriented approach. As we mentioned earlier - from Emilia to the world. 90% of the turnover
- i.e. around €30 million at group level - is in fact obtained abroad and the
client network involves 40% manufacturers and 60% dealers. But, while
everything stemmed from curiosity, the company evolved thanks to skill. “Over
the years we expanded the sectors of application of our products. We now
provide a wide range of solutions for mobile applications in the agriculture,
earthmoving, forestry, maritime, public service, logistics sectors and much
more. Over the past few years, we recorded considerable growth thanks to both
favourable market conditions and our commercial policies,” explains Angelo
Pucci, Managing Director at Salami. Skill, as we mentioned earlier. Which goes
hand in hand with dexterity. “What actually sets us apart from the competition
is our significant flexibility in the approach, options and solutions we
provide to our clients. In Italy, we are
actually the only purely-hydraulic company that features two product lines -
external gear pumps and directional valves. This way, we can offer multiple
applications which, despite having different design and production needs,
enable us to meet a wide range of requests,” illustrates Guido Leo, Engineering
Coordinator at Salami as well as the grandson of Giuseppe Salami himself. Everything
started in Modena and in this story - just like in all the others we are
collecting to outline Emilian entrepreneurship, i.e. that doing business which also means creating a community - the
connection with the territory remains very strong.
A multifaceted company.
The company takes part actively in many local initiatives and associations
including ITS Maker, i.e. the post-diploma technical specialization school that
sees Salami as a founding partner. Then there is Confindustria Emilia’s
"Club dell’Alternanza", through which the company is closely linked
with the school "Istituto Tecnico Corni". Plus there is also the constant dialogue with
the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. “We strongly believe in technical
training as the basis for our development and that of our country,” stresses
Pucci, who has no doubt about what is the recipe for success. “You need human
capital, advanced technologies, a sense of community and a culture of values.
Plus the passion that often characterises those working in sectors like ours
and that makes us stand out from those who only pursue economic and financial
objectives which - albeit fundamental - cannot be the only driver behind
policies. And again, a stable and trusted supply chain like ours, which often
helped us overcome complex periods working as partners,” highlights Pucci. The strength of alliances reflects on the
territory because, if markets are
increasingly global, local identity becomes strategic.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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