The Italian company MEC MAN, headquartered in Lugo di Vicenza, is ready for relaunch as soon as the economy restarts
When we talk about Mec Man, we are talking about a big brand, able to face the market’s post-pandemic and future challenges in general. The company was founded in 2003 by Marco Agostini and Giovanni Baron. Thanks to their determination and commitment, the two businessmen managed an amazing growth, letting their company to become a reference point in the international tanning sector. For years, the Venetian company has been involved in the maintenance and production of spare parts for vacuum dryers, staking machines and vacuum systems; then it started to product its own systems. MEC MAN immediately became a leader in the large plants’ national and international market, designing and manufacturing machines that never had been developed ever since. In recent year, the company designed, among others, the Mec Giant 8.0 and the 9.0 model; the latter, as far as now, remains the largest in the world: its tables measure 9 x 3.4 meters.
“A strong brand identity – confirms Marco Agostini – has always been our main challenge, an essential way to enhance our personality and to gradually conquer the tanning sector. A motivated, united team, currently build up of about twenty engineers and technicians, represents our strength. We work hard to reach our goals, to be reliable and to guarantee the best products and services to our clients. Never as today, after almost a year and a half of production slowdown, it is essential to offer an easy, proactive and timely purchase. Product quality, technical competence and a top-notch after-sales service become indispensable elements. Never forgetting prices, that must always be competitive.”
The market slowdown has mainly affected the tannery machines’ sales, is it true? As a matter of fact, that sector was paralyzed because consumption stopped; warehouses were full and customers’ requests very few, so the production of hides consequently stopped. Now, however, we have restarted, thanks to the incentives generated by Industry 4.0 and additional incentives at national and European level that are underway. Nobody can predict how long will it take to recover, but we are ready to restart and to grow focusing on quality, professionalism and pricing, elements that are going to be essential.
How did you spend the last 15 months? We have always been working. During the lockdown period in spring 2020 we focused on the R&D, and looked for new ideas as we never did before. Furthermore, at the beginning of May, we installed the first staking machine in a tannery based in the Arzignano district, resulting from the projects and studies we carried out in the last year. It is equipped with a very advanced technology and we could sell it at a very competitive price. This machine is meant for the post vacuum phase and it enriches the offer of a department we want to become a leader of. Till now, three likewise machines have already been ordered: the first will be placed in Solofra (Italian Campania region) and two more will be delivered in Turkey in the coming months. In 2022 we plan to become a reference point in the drying department.
Did you miss the international fairs in the last year and a half? What could be the events on your agenda in the second half of 2021? We missed international fairs a lot, considering that our company does not yet boast an internationally renowned brand, neither an international commercial network. We have always invested in trade fairs; at the last Tanning Tech edition in Milan we showcased the largest machinery in terms of size. For years, international fairs are no longer an opportunity to sell but rather to showcase our latest technology and to look for potential new customers. If it will be confirmed, we plan to be in Milan in September, then we will see which events will be authorized to take place worldwide.
Could you take business trips by plane? We have not experienced the problem of travel restrictions considering that we’re not yet into the Asian markets; our reference countries, such as Mexico, Europe, India and Turkey were open to visitors, so we didn’t face big issues to reach them.
What are MEC MAN’s main goals later this year? At the moment we scheduled orders until November and we are negotiating others that, if confirmed, could cover a further period until March 2022. This is in line with our production capacity and we do not want to go any further before economy recovers and the market stability is implemented. We will see what will happen in the short term and if there will be that “peak” hypothesized by many economists. We have gradually grown and will gradually develop further, even in terms of workforce. For some years we have been hosting internships for students aged 16 to 18 enrolled in professional schools of the Alto Vicentino area, with which we have established strong relationships. We support the training of future technicians that could cooperate with us in future; we are currently looking for a second design engineer to strengthen the technical office as well as an experienced electrician, but there is a lack of professional figures of this kind.
Are you confident in a strong post-pandemic economic recovery? Everything is linked to the anti-Covid vaccination campaigns; currently the situation is very different in every country, even among countries of the same continent. In Italy and in a large part of Europe the situation is encouraging. At MEC MAN we invested well, especially in new technologies and in terms of ecosustainability. In this field, we launched our own ECO DRYED LEATHER brand, a mark identifying those plants featuring specific characteristics that let access to incentives related to energy saving and all sustainable practices.
www.mecman.net