As it was widely demonstrated also when presenting the last economic data formalized by sector associations such as Anima, today Italy and Europe of machine tools and technologies for industry owe their fortunes mainly to exports. The European Association of the manufacturers of machine tools that’s to say Cecimo has calculated that the turnover that the continent attains from the machine trade beyond its boundaries amounts to 18.8 billions. It has scored the 9% rise in comparison with the record values of 2008, thus counterbalancing the -2% of domestic consumptions and contributing in the trade balance of the European Union with 10.5 billions. Crisis and stagnation of the domestic front start worrying sector entrepreneurs and lead them to look for a way out. Among the helmsmen operating towards this direction there is undoubtedly the thinking head of the Lodi company Asservimenti Presse, Mr Ottavio Albini. He can be certainly satisfied with the position reached beyond the Alps. Both working on small plants and on bigger size ones and both as direct supplier and as subcontractor, today export represents for Asservimenti Presse 95% of the overall turnover. Its customers are distributed in the four corners of Europe, being headquartered both in leader regions like Germany and Scandinavian Countries and in the rising Poland, or in Spain that is struggling with austerity with varying degrees of success. For the Lombard producer it is a success based on constant innovation that has resulted also in the availability of its range of special automation lines for servo-presses. «We would like anyway», said Albini, «that Italian companies might introduce innovation on machines, to be able to compete on equal terms with our competitors, considering that we think that in many cases they rely on a quite obsolete technological fleet. The keystone lies however in prices, which should be decreased to favour a far-reaching renewal». To intervene drastically on price lists is difficult but a solution might come from the attainment of a relevant order-portfolio able to boost fruitful scale economies for all. «It is not necessary to create a net», said Albini, «but it is sufficient that they listen to our proposal and, even buying small-size machines, they can constitute a certain critical mass».
Asservimenti Presse, which is presenting here a range of ideal proposals for the home market in terms of size and price, declares it is willing «to listen to customers’ requirements to manufacture custom-made machines or to better propose our range. Provided that, however, there is a certain amount of potential users. It is a strategy that we should create, anyway, because the orders are staggered, according to two-month periods, and we should know at the beginning that the demand goes towards a certain direction». Ottavio Albini is ready to dialogue and he intends to do his part to revitalize the tricolour demand: «We see in fact», he ended, «that outside the Peninsula and also in North Africa, where we take part in important industrial exhibitions, there is certain liveliness and exchanges are picking up momentum».
