MEC MAN, company headquartered in Lugo di Vicenza, acquired the whole share package of ITALIMPIANTI, firm based in Santa Croce sull’Arno (Pisa province) specialized in the design, manufacturing and assembly of overhead conveyor systems and conditioning dryers. Here are the prospects of the new group
“MEC MAN is going to evolve once more. I believe it will soon become a more comprehensive enterprise and, thanks to this, even a more competitive one,” stated Marco Agostini, co-owner of MEC MAN, firm headquartered in Lugo di Vicenza. He outlined a new scenario for a company that in 2021 has come of age (18 years, given that it was established in 2003) and it is now ready to step into a completely different dimension in the tanning sector, both on a domestic and on an international level.
For almost two decades, the Veneto-based enterprise dealt with the maintenance and production of spare parts for vacuum dryers, staking machines and vacuum generation systems; then, it has moved on to the actual manufacturing of plants with its own brand, exported to several countries worldwide. Three years ago, the range of technologies further widened thanks to the cutting-edge, successful GREENMEC system, innovative toggling for wet leather that uses a patented leather stretching technique as well as a state-of-the-art, high-tech air treatment process.
“It is essential to understand what is going on,” stated Agostini, “the situation has been evolving in a peculiar way. Paradoxically enough, the economic stagnation caused by Covid-19 did not hinder us; on the contrary, it helped us grow more, because we had the time to stop, think and take stock of the situation. We have further understood the key role played by innovation, by the need to widen the range of solutions, striving to provide an even more comprehensive service. We had set as a deadline mid-2022, but we reached the result six months earlier. We will be ready at the beginning of the new year.”
What is the key moment of this turning point?
“We took over the whole share package of a renowned, historic company, that is, ITALIMPIANTI, based in Santa Croce sull’Arno (Pisa province), in of one of the most prominent tanning districts, both nationwide and internationally, together with the one located in Arzignano, not far away from our headquarters. It is acknowledged as a benchmark for the sector. The operation, defined and made official in the last few weeks, entails the acquisition of the corporate know-how as well as the arrangement of a new shareholder structure called MEC MAN TOSCANA. The new enterprise will rely on the long-standing experience of the Monti family in the making of overhead conveyor systems, now representing the future of leather drying.”
What will the establishment of MEC MAN TOSCANA lead to?
“When, in a few months, another project will come into being, a project that will define the traditional sammying and setting-out machine, we will be able to give to the customer the chance to deal with a single partner for the making of the whole drying division. MEC MAN TOSCANA will be identified on the market as manufacturer of sammying technologies and of overhead systems. The union of these two products with the MEC MAN world will lead to a single ecosystem that can put all its components in contact, via a technology that our technicians are currently developing. The benefits production-wise and from an economic point of view will be huge, without forgetting, as mentioned earlier, the opportunity to interact with a single entity. For us, this is not only a pivotal milestone, but also a starting point that will help us face new, exciting challenges.”
As for the new MEC MAN Group, as we can call it, what can you tell us about its structure?
“In my opinion, human resources make companies and, in order to carry out our project, we required some “aces”. After so much effort, we found them: the first one is a computer science and robotics graduate, 36 years old, already boasting several significant experiences, even internationally. He will develop the ecosystem that will become our flagship. The second is the new head of the technical and production quality department, who is taking care, among other things, of the procedures that will lead to the attainment of the ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications.”
Today, MEC MAN is a leader both on the domestic and on the international market when it comes to large-sized systems, as it designs and produces machines that, up until a few years ago, seemed unfeasible. What is the market feedback to these “giants”?
“At the beginning, scepticism was the most common reaction; however, nowadays, customers, domestic and foreign ones, are fully aware of the indisputable benefits guaranteed by these safe, reliable machines, the latter the result of concrete, ambitious project. The latest systems in Arzignano are all MecGiant 8.0 and this is a sign that a pivotal change is underway.”
What about your entrepreneurial strategy?
“It is the same one carried on since the firm’s establishment, starting with the direct, trust-driven relationship with the customers, to whom we must ensure expertise, quality, a prompt service, and, most of all, affordable costs. A complicated feat. Right from the beginning, MEC MAN has been striving to put all this at the clientele’s disposal. Now, with the addition of the new facility in Tuscany, we can further improve, so as to guarantee there too what the customers based in the Arzignano district already know.”
Does the overall market situation worry you?
“There is no point in denying the truth, this is a complicated moment, not only due to the doubts concerning the global pandemic, but also due to the economic scenarios related to various factors, including the increase in raw materials’ prices, often excessive and unjustified, as well as the long waiting times for the supply of materials and components. We are implementing a sound, reliable structure, that will reach its peak when the market is going to return to the pre- Covid levels. We will wait patiently and, in the meantime, we will keep improving our project, given that, for us, it is a successful initiative.”
One last question: what will your spirit be upon entering the upcoming new year?
“It is an amazing dream that is about to come true, we are heading down an “insane” path, even from a commercial standpoint. A great excitement. Nevertheless, we want to share this joy with the whole staff; after all, their commitment and dedication have played a key role. I am happy to be at the helm of such a great team, that has always been able to join forces and find to new motivations. This is the spirit we will keep nurturing in the future as well.”