High precision, investment in young people and start-ups, and eyes on the future.
The goals of Perardi e Gresino, a historic company in Favria Canavese that has specialized in precision machining in the industrial sector since 1954, are clear. In 2011, it al- larged its market by reaching China with the establishment of FPMC (its on-site subsidiary) and a joint venture with Chinese giant DongFeng Industrial.

(In photo FPMC, Xingsha District, Changsha City, Hunan Province, P.R.C.)

Management underwent major changes in 2021, in addition to the turnaround brought by the generational change, organization, top management, and medium- to long-term goals were renewed, which put sustainability at the center by aiming for carbon neutrality within the next two decades. The will to renew and grow moves the company, which despite the last few years, which have not exactly been easy for those involved in the heat engine market, has been able to reinvent itself by including young talent, investing in start-ups and opening up to mentoring and partnership activities. In the last two years it has activated energy efficiency initiatives and collaborated with multiple incubators and universities such as the Polytechnic University of Turin.

Founded in 1954 in Favria (TO), Perardi e Gresino is a historic precision machining company operating in the industrial components, automotive and renewable energy sectors. Alex Borghesio, Sales Director of this all-Italian excellence, reveals to us the secret of so much success of a reality now present in many countries around the world.

by Roberta Imbimbo

Dr. Borghesio, with what mission does the company position itself in the market today?

Founded about 70 years ago with the aim of becoming an important reference point in the automotive market, Perardi e Gresino has focused its core business on the mechanical machining of components for on- and off-road industrial vehicles and renewable energy, addressing its offer to the world’s leading manufacturers. Thanks to a truly innovative business model, its strong vocation for technological innovation and internationalization, over time it has managed to assert its leadership in a highly competitive and constantly evolving market, in which the quality of service and products offered certainly make the difference. Today Perardi e Gresino is a reality present in many countries around the world: North and South America, Europe, South Africa, Asia and since 2011 also in China thanks to the creation of FPMC, a subsidiary of the company based in Changsha (Hunan). With the aim of increasing its presence in a market that is strategic for us, China precisely, in 2018 we created our first joint venture in Shiyan (Hubei), with Dong Feng Industrial, the most important local manufacturer of industrial vehicles.

What are your strengths compared to your competitors?

In recent years we have focused heavily on technological innovation, doubling our investments and going so far as to introduce in all our plants fully automated workstations that are more efficient, high-performing, with low environmental impact (it is our goal to become carbon neutral within the next decade) and in line with new market trends; substantial investments that have enabled us to thicken our customer base year after year, among which are prestigious national and international brands, and to double our turnover in three years. Another distinguishing feature, which clearly differentiates us from other market players, is the fact that we have also invested substantial resources in the search for and subsequent training of new talent: as of today, the Group has 220 employees, mostly motivated and highly qualified young people. In addition, in 2021, we completed a strategic corporate reorganization operation at the top of the company, carrying out a fundamental generational change to successfully open ourselves to new and interesting prospects for growth and development in new market segments. The most ambitious challenge for the future is definitely to consolidate our positioning with the opening of more production sites and to forge valuable new collaborations and partnerships with startups and innovative companies, so that we can bridge the gaps across our business. This is the case of Safen srl (a new investee of the group) a company that wants to revolutionize the world of compressed air with the help of patented and innovative solutions to return full control of the pneumatic network to its customers by making it digital, performant and sustainable. The first POC in Perardi and Gresino was completed in 2022, which has yielded excellent results in reducing network losses, its constant monitoring with AI and Cloud, and high economic savings.

STEFANO BOTTIGLIERI RECOUNTS THE TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION AND INTERNATIONALIZATION EXPERIENCE OF PERARDI E GRESINO, A COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN HIGH-PRECISION MECHANICAL MACHINING

Painstaking and constantly updated work. For sixty-five years, the Perardi e Gresino company has been in the automotive components business. “We strive to stay up-to-date with the latest regulations and constantly invest in new technologies,” explains company manager Stefano Bottiglieri. Over the past two decades, the company has invested in a number of automated lines that follow the development of new technologies available on the market and the needs of customers. “We operate in a mature market,” the owner continues. Therefore, we believe that the quality of service and products we offer can make a difference. We invest in the continuous training of our employees, supporting their individual development paths, because we believe this is the best way to achieve excellence.”

And it was in fact as early as the late 1980s that the company began to invest in the automation of production processes by introducing anthropomorphic robots and, thus, fully automated production lines that fundamentally increased production output by requiring less labor input from employees to enslave the machines. In addition to the digitization and computerization that has been taking hold within the company since the 1990s, another major investment was then made: the company’s landing in China dates back to 2011. “We entered the Chinese market with our own company based in Changsha (Hunan).

We created a reality based on lean manufacturing, aiming to replicate not only the Chinese business model, but also the organizational system and values. Then in 2018, we made a further investment to better penetrate the Chinese market with the establishment of a join venture with a large local truck manufacturer. After years of contact with one of the leaders in the truck industry, we established our first joint venture in Shiyan (Hubei), with the aim of consolidating the technical and commercial partnership for the development of next-generation engine components with Dong Feng Industrial. We currently control 45 percent of the company. Again, we went out of our way to bring Italian know-how to China and it was this factor that allowed us to expand to open up new opportunities. The three production hubs we own to date count the presence of about 120/125 employees in Italy in the Favria plant, and seventy and twenty employees respectively in the base companies in China.”

The company specializes in precision machining for industrial vehicle components or agricultural equipment. Specifically, tractors, combine harvesters, and all means of work in the fields. Another segment where the company has consolidated is renewable energy, thus components for wind blades and solar panels. “We can consider that among our main strengths is the ability to follow our customers closely. Our two poles have been built in strategic locations in order to be able to follow our customers worldwide: in Europe and Asia, so as to cover the eastern and western territories with our groups corporate septum of the company,” Bottiglieri points out.By carrying out a generational change that has seen a passing of the baton to the sons, the latter have bought the company, opening the doors to new prospects for the future. In addition, there has been in recent years the inclusion of other key figures at the management level, these are young people with previous experience gained abroad.”