Francesco Berselli, President of Varvel SpA and Mauro Cominoli, General Manager of Varvel SpA have been interviewed by the IEN Europe staff.
IEN Europe: Varvel has just celebrated its 60-year anniversary: which moments have significantly marked the history of this company and what goals, from your perspective, do you expect in the future?
Mr. Berselli: Over the past six decades various moments have given a strong impetus to growth, especially in conjunction with the presentation of new advanced and innovative products. However, retracing our history, I can say that the development process has been continuous, thanks to the help of all the team members. I think this proactive approach will bring further developments also in the coming years, focusing on the quality of the product while paying close attention to the market, to the people, to the environment and to our territory.
IEN Europe: Could you please give us an overview of the current situation of the motors and gearboxes market?
Mr. Berselli: The crisis in recent years has sorely impacted mechanical industry more than other sectors. However, the ability to innovate, through concrete research and development work, has allowed our company to provide higher quality products in terms of durability, performance, reliability, energy saving and to really make the difference. Clearly, there are also businesses that rely less on technology and more on profits, but I think this is a feature that every market has. Knowing how to effectively respond to customer needs, with customized and tailor-made projects, allows companies to create considerable opportunities for Varvel’s growth.
IEN Europe: What does the European Programme Horizon - a project that includes the creation of a smart gearbox without maintenance - consist of and what is Varvel’s contribution to it?
Mr. Cominoli: The European Program Horizon represents a real opportunity for companies to obtain funds for innovative projects. Varvel gained access - together with only 20 other italian companies – to the first phase of the project which allowed us to prepare a feasibility study aimed at the creation of a maintenance-free worm gearbox. An ambitious project, which lasts 24 to 30 months for a total of 1.071.000 Euros. The success could really lead to a revolutionary product in terms of efficiency, reduction of environmental impact, energy saving, safety. After the presentation of the feasability study, recently Varvel got through the second phase with excellent results. Consequently, the European Commission has approved and financed the project to develop the innovative worm gearbox.
IEN Europe: Varvel promotes several social activities. In which programs are you involved? Which is your strategy?
Mr. Berselli: Since 2004, we support three non-profit organizations, ANT, Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF, giving to each of them a contribution of 0.02 Euro for every product sold. We also promote several social actions in the area where the company is headquartered, from scholarships to transportation for people with disabilities, from entertainment to fundraisers, from schools to other public facilities. Being a socially responsible company means to consider the stakeholder’ interests and the impacts that our work might have on an economic, social and environmental level.
IEN Europe: Varvel has recently introduced the express delivery service VARfast. How did this activity come about and how it was developed? What are the advantages of using this service?
Mr. Cominoli: VARfast is a fast and useful delivery service, which ensures on-time deliveries to react to worldwide growing requests. Through VARfast Varvel will be able to deliver in record time strengthening the strategic partnership with the customers, from product design to delivery. VARfast is available in two different ways according to the product configuration: loose kit form delivery within 24 hours and fully assembled units within 72 hours from the order date.
IEN Europe: Company’s attitude for innovation is well represented by the constant effort of the R&D division. What are the latest solutions introduced? Any upcoming news?
Mr. Cominoli: The 2015 has been a great year for Varvel. In occasion of the sixtieth and at Hannover Messe, we introduced several innovations, such as the new series of bevel/helical gearboxes RO2, along with the new flexible coupling spider, latest generations seals and innovations on recent products, like the ISM solid shaft and BSM back-stop attachments, 50 mm centre distance worm gearboxes, the parallel shaft gearbox RB13, not counting all the specific applications on which we are constantly working.
IEN Europe: There is a growing trend of emerging companies offering products at very competitive cost. How do you face these new situations that aim to hit your market segments?
Mr. Berselli: I think the best answer is to innovate, constantly creating new applications with high technological contents. This is complemented by the reliability, safety, durability and performance of made in Italy products. Of course, this increases implementation costs, but represents a considerable saving in the long run for customers. Made in Varvel means being able to focus on energy conservation, simultaneously avoiding downtime and unplanned maintenance. Focusing on quality often brings concrete benefits in medium and long term.
IEN Europe: Which strategic initiatives are you planning for the next years?
Mr. Cominoli: We will give a strong boost to the internationalization process. We invested in a considerable improvement of logistics, supply chain and IT sectors, with the introduction of SAP. In this way we will always ensure a rapid response on every project or specific need. Varvel operates in all five continents and these improvements allow us to provide global customers higher quality products and better services, with respect to places and people, as testified by the certifications obtained, such as the Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001), the Environmental Systems (UNI EN ISO 14001), the Occupational Safety (BS OHSAS 18001).
