Ambitious Projects

Market has changed radically in recent years and this is certainly not new.

Today customers are much more demanding, more attentive to innovation, they need answers faster and faster because they would like to receive products faster and faster. The real challenge is up to companies and they want to follow this profound evolution of the market. And this is the issue  of Nadella group, a specialist in the production of technological solutions for mechanical handling, with ninety years of history behind it and a turnover of 65 million euros, which over 50% is due to foreign markets.

The TECN'È editorial team has therefore decided to meet three key figures of Nadella management - Liviana Forza, head of the Linear Business Unit of the Nadella Group, Fulvio Tondelli, R&D Director, and Walter Gobbi, Director of business development - to discuss and meet the reasons for some strategic choices and certain established policies.

THE ACTUAL MARKET

Ninety years of history, completed just in 2020, are undoubtedly an important milestone. “Our interlocutors see Nadella as a point of reference in the sector, both from the point of view of service and in the choice of product or solution,” explains Walter Gobbi, “but it is the background that changed.

Once the manufacturers built the machine tool in nine months, sometimes even in a year, while today the machining centers are ready in just three months, which means that our role of suppliers is to respond to their requests in a few days, providing customers who support and guide their choices in the right direction.

In recent years, we are working on to changements of our type of offer, our product, which become system that the end-user will only have to power or integrate to the his line. And I think this is a significant advantage for our customers ".

According to Fulvio Tondelli, head of the R&D division, the focus is in product development process. "We see that the general trend is collaboration between customer and supplier: today we work in synergy to find the best solution", he explains.

“In fact, focus is not the cost of the component or of the single machine, but the ability to find customized solutions”.

THE GROWTH STRATEGY

The last few years have seen the Nadella Group one of the protagonist of a careful and well-considered policy based on acquisitions: in 2014 Durbal, manufacturer of rod ends and spherical plain bearings, in 2017 4Linear, dedicated to the production of telescopic guides, and in 2018 Chiavette Unificate , specialized in the production of self-lubricating rod ends, with high load capacity and high speed, production of connecting parts, such as forks, corner joints and keys.

A strategy which seems to be paying off and which, therefore, will also follow good direction in the future.
"We can define our mixed growth strategy," explains the new Head of the Linear Business Unit of the Nadella Liviana Forza Group, "because it follows a dual development line.

On the one hand, the internal one, the research and development linked to innovation and the creation of new products; on the other, we try new markets, and - at the same time - to new acquisitions.

As we know, the concept of acquisition is important in order to quickly bring new skills complementary to existing ones within the Group. We decide to pursue this policy because we want that Nadella continues to be a bestplayer in its sector  and we need product range that is competitive and wide.

At the same time, we need to maintain and improve our presence in some important markets”.

In recent weeks Nadella's new milestone has been reached: acquisition of Spanish companies Husillos Ipiranga and Shuton, specialized in the production of high precision ball screws.

NEWS FROM AFAR

50% of Nadella's turnover comes from foreign markets and above all from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Northern Europe, the United States and China. And it is in the People's Republic of China, and in particular in Changxing county (Zhejiang province), that the Group inaugurated a new production plant in January.

"It is a 5,200 square meter plant that will become the main point for the Chinese market," explains Walter Gobbi, who is involved in the forefront of this ambitious operation.

"There will be the customization of our products for this specific market, so we can offer a better service to our customers who, in the first instance, will be Chinese, and who we hope we can extend to the whole Asian area. We believe it is important to be physically close to our reference market and we can guarantee an appropriate service, especially in terms of delivery times and product customization ".

But what does it mean to push in the Chinese market today? "In China there are two types of market", Gobbi replies. "Manufacturers who make machines for internal customers and thatone who follows exports. Our goal in China is to supply the segment which prefers the quality of the components and implemented machines. Our main point is a market, therefore, which guarantee quality in product and in the integration of Nadella brand solutions ".

If China remains an important territory for Nadella, the other countries are certainly not less. “At this moment - adds Liviana Forza - we are very strong in Italy and Germany, where we have a significant presence also in terms of production. In Europe there are significant markets, such as France, where we have a dedicated office, but also the United Kingdom, Spain and Northern Europe. For this reason, we plan to improve our presence in all these areas of reference in the coming years, with the help of direct people who can develop new business”.

AN INNOVATIVE SYSTEM

A concrete example of Nadella's modus operandi for product development is the AXNR circular system.

Designed in 2019 and improved and ready to be presented at the next edition of MECSPE, the AXNR circular system is a solution designed to be integrated with all those production machines that must satisfy needs to reduce the space in workshop.

“Yesterday", Tondelli points out, "we took care of building guides with an oval shape, then leaving the customer the burden of creating the trolley handling system along the line, today we want to offer a complete solution and the circular module AXNR and satisfy this need ".

The special Nadella guide rollers mounted on its carriages are able to support extremely high load capacities for their size and the entire system can be handled with considerable speeds. Furthermore, the correct sliding of the carriages is further facilitated automatically by the special lubrication systems and curved guides, which simplify maintenance.

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