IEN Europe: Can you give us an overview of Diamond Antenna and Microwave, including a brief history and a description of their main production?
Gomarasca: Diamond Antenna and Microwave is an American company located near Boston, Massachusetts. Historically, the company has specialized in the production of rotary joints for RF (radio frequency) transmissions, which remains their core business. These joints can be either contact-based or contactless and find application in various markets, including antennas and radar.
Diamond focuses on four main sectors: the defense sector, which includes the use of rotary joints and radar antennas on military platforms; the commercial sector, which involves antennas and radars used in maritime or land applications; the air traffic control (ATC) market, where the joints and antennas are used in airport radar systems; and finally, the space sector, where Diamond has long been present, although we are only now beginning to develop this market in Europe. In this area, the rotary joints are used in spacecraft or satellite antennas.
Diamond Antenna is considered a leader in the field, with few competitors worldwide. There are only a handful of manufacturers at this level in the United States, and even fewer in Europe. There are also Asian manufacturers, but they usually work on lower-tier components. Diamond, on the other hand, is among the top three global manufacturers in terms of product quality and technology.
IEN Europe: How did the collaboration between Servotecnica and Diamond Antenna begin about, and what led to the distribution agreement?
Gomarasca: Servotecnica has operated since its inception in the four key sectors mentioned earlier and has a well-established expertise in electric slip rings, which is the rotating collector for transmission electrical signals or fieldbus, based on physical contact. About 15 years ago, we started collaborating with other companies specializing in collectors for fluid passage, such as water and gas, and in collectors for optical fiber signals. The only area missing from our portfolio to offer a complete range of technological solutions was RF technology, the transmission of radio frequency signals. During our scouting activities, we identified Diamond, a company we already knew. Thanks to this distribution agreement, we have been able to complete our technological offering, integrating their expertise in RF joints with our electric, hydraulic, and optical fiber technologies, thus making our offering broader and more versatile for our customers.
IEN Europe: What are the strategic advantages of this agreement for Servotecnica, especially from a technical and logistical perspective?
Gomarasca: The contract with Diamond offers Servotecnica several competitive advantages. In addition to completing our technological range, we can support customers commercially and technically more effectively. We have qualified technical staff capable of interfacing with customers to understand their needs and resolve any issues, both through technical analysis on damaged products and by intervening promptly in the field.
Moreover, many of Diamond’s products are large and high-value units, such as antennas that can measure up to one and a half meters or more. In case of maintenance or failure, disassembling and shipping them to the United States would involve significant logistical costs and waiting times. Thanks to our operational base in Italy, and potentially extended to the rest of Europe, we can intervene quickly, reducing these times and simplifying operations, including bureaucratic processes. In particular, some of these units are subject to export licenses, which makes internal management within the European Community much easier compared to exporting material to the United States.
IEN Europe: Does this allow you to access new markets compared to those you have already reached in the past?
Gomarasca: Yes and no. Certainly, the market we are focusing on the most, and where Servotecnica was previously underrepresented, is the space sector. Previously, we didn’t have suppliers for this sector, but through market analysis, we identified strong growth potential. The launch of satellites has become simpler and more accessible, and more and more customers, including our historical partners, are exploring this sector that was not so developed in Europe until recently. We have already started some projects and received orders in this area, where the technological competition is even higher compared to the traditional industrial market.
Thinking about developing technology from scratch for space applications would require timelines that are not compatible with current market demands, which require immediate solutions. Thanks to Diamond, we now have access to this market, representing a new growth opportunity.
In addition, the partnership allows us to offer an unique proposal: we now have all four of the main technologies for rotary joints and can provide an integrated solution to our customers. Even if the components come from different suppliers, including Diamond, the customer has a single point of contact, Servotecnica, for all technologies. In the event of problems, the customer does not have to worry about identifying which joint or technology needs intervention, as we manage the entire process, ensuring an efficient and complete service. This integration represents a distinctive offering in the market, as the technologies involved are very different from one another.
IEN Europe: The integration of technologies is one of the main advantages of this partnership, right?
Gomarasca: Exactly. It’s essential to combine the different solutions and have a local base in Italy, or at least in Europe, that can provide technical support and operate directly on the products, whether for maintenance or analysis. Joints generally require regular maintenance. They are devices that operate continuously, like airport radars, active 24 hours a day, and their reliability is crucial; they cannot afford to fail. In addition to maintenance, another significant advantage concerns the commissioning of complex joints. In these cases, the customer requests to accept the product at the supplier's site. Before shipping the piece, the customer themselves participates in the tests, verifies the specifications, and all this is much easier to organize here in Italy compared to sending technicians to the United States. Not only is time saved, but costs are also significantly reduced.
IEN Europe: What are the next steps to optimize this collaboration from a technical point of view?
Gomarasca: We are currently already able to provide technical support for the products and manage all logistical aspects, but we are structuring ourselves to further expand these capabilities in the next 12-18 months and to be able to manage maintenance, qualification, and acceptance of the joints on-site. This requires acquiring specific tools, which are different from those we usually use on our products. A know-how we will achieve through training courses, which we are investing in, structuring so that Servotecnica technicians will directly attend at Diamond, who will subsequently send their experts to Italy to verify that the tests are carried out according to their standards.
IEN Europe: So, this partnership makes you the exclusive point of contact and distributor for Diamond in Italy and, prospectively, also in Europe?
Gomarasca: Exactly, we are the exclusive distributors for Diamond Antenna in Italy, and we are structuring the same network across Europe. We have already mapped out the clients and are working to expand the sales network, aiming to position Diamond as a major player in the European market. At this moment, we are focusing on companies that can benefit from RF technology, such as those active in the space sector, ATC, defense, and navigation. In particular, Diamond’s technology offers the opportunity to provide support for highquality and high-value components. We aim to create synergies with our customers, not just selling the product but also accompanying them through all project phases, from conception to installation and beyond.
IEN Europe: In the coming months, the focus will be on integrating the technologies and skills. How will Diamond’s products integrate with Servotecnica’s existing product lines?
Gomarasca: As mentioned earlier, Diamond has a unique technology, particularly in the space market, which Servotecnica didn’t have until now. The commercialization of our first RF rotary collector will allow us to significantly expand our product range, responding to the needs of some existing customers interested in this technology.
Diamond is a well-recognized brand in Italy, even though its main market is in the United States, where they sell almost 90% of their products. However, in our sector, they are known both for their brand and for their innovative technologies.
IEN Europe: What do you think about the future of Servotecnica and this partnership?
Gomarasca: The prospects are very promising, as we now have access to new technologies and markets, and our ability to offer a comprehensive service to customers differentiates us from the competition.
The synergy between our skills and those of Diamond will allow us to tackle more ambitious challenges and grow further in the European context. It will be interesting to see how these opportunities develop in the coming years and to work in team with Diamond to realize them.
IEN Europe: Thank you for these insights.
