Handling a worldwide reputation Italcarrelli

HANDLING A WORLDWIDE REPUTATION

Founded 50 years ago, Italcarrelli has built itself a reputation as a world leader in the design and construction of forklifts and ancillary technologies for storage – and then, in 1995, it added glass handling systems to its portfolio, with huge success. Felicity Landon reports.

The first electric cars in 1969 … the first sideloaders and large-scale platforms in the late 1970s …a leader in the development of unmanned automatic guided vehicles (AGVs); Italcarrelli is a company that’s used to being out in front and it intends to stay there, says sales manager Davide Schiavon.

“Certainly the continued innovation and technological research in order to provide our customers with cutting-edge machines is one of our unique strengths,” he says. “During the design process and production, much attention is paid to detail and quality of materials and components that are installed. We devote much attention to the training of users, and we guarantee our clients a timely and excellent after-sales service.”

However, he says, Italcarrelli’s trump card is “definitely our flexibility and ability to adapt to all requests.”

Customer satisfaction is based on responding to even the most complex challenges, he says. “And if customer satisfaction is the goal, that goal can only be reached through continuous improvement and updating of our products.”

Based in Chiampo, north-east Italy, Italcarrelli produces machines for the handling of any goods – especially very heavy and bulky ones. The range includes forklifts, sideloaders, flatbeds and platforms, and specialised equipment, to handle goods from production to warehouse, and from warehouse to shipping department.

“We are present in many sectors, particularly the specialist ones such as the metallurgy and steel, glass, construction, shipbuilding, composite materials, chemicals, energy and heavy carpentry industries,” says Mr Schiavon. “The key to success is that our products in the special sectors can be customised, based on the needs of each individual customer, and innovative technologies that we install on our machines. And in the handling of glass, we are undoubtedly a world leader.”

Italcarrelli’s customers are major manufacturers across all sectors and around the world; in the glass sector, that includes names such as Sisecam, Saint-Gobain, AGC, Pilkington and NSG.

In other areas, it works with companies such as Arcelor-Mittal, Danieli, Allard Europe, Enel, Enichem, Lannutti and LG. Global orders

Italcarrelli recently signed a major contract with Sisecam, as the sole partner for the handling of glass in all four of new float lines to be built in Bulgaria, Russia and Turkey, and to supply the fleet of 46 machines also for plants already in operation in Turkey.

“We also have an important contract for the supply of various large-scale, self-propelled platforms, including one for 400 tonnes, to a major Chinese company in the energy sector,” says Mr Schiavon.

“This type of customer is very demanding, requiring highly productive machines able to work 24 hours a day, with low maintenance costs. In recent years we have met increasing demand for greater comfort and safety for operators, and for solutions to automate, as much as possible, the use of our resources in order to avoid possible errors by users. These priorities are the basis of our policy of machine design – our solutions are highly appreciated by customers who often use our characteristics as a reference for drafting the RFQ.”

The Italcarrelli name encompasses a network of companies that work together

directly and indirectly, employing more than 200 people.

The main company has two factories in Vicenza, one dedicated to the production of special machines in general and the other dedicated to the production of special machines for glass. There is also a production line in China, for standard forklifts only.

“In our factories in Italy, where we produce special machines, we design, assemble and test our products. All other operations such as carpentry, mechanical work, painting, etc, are carried out by partners which are part of the network of companies created by Italcarrelli,” explains Mr Schiavon. “This system allows us to have high quality standards, as each of the companies is highly specialised in a certain type of work, and at the same time can be very flexible, with production in line with the market.”

The company has a global presence. “Today we have machines that are operating everywhere from Australia to China, Southeast Asia and Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia), India, Russia, North and South Africa, the Americas and, of course, Europe. We have an excellent sales team that can give support to all our agents in the world. Most of the special projects are monitored by our technicians onsite, so we can provide timely and comprehensive responses to all our clients and propose solutions.”

Italcarrelli has machine maintenance agreements with companies throughout the world. But at the same time, its design engineers always focus on creating machines with simple maintenance requirements.

Electric experience

When Italcarrelli produced the first electric cars in 1969, battery-powered machines were something of a novelty at the time. “Today, of course, they are practically the only choice, especially for machines working inside factories,” says Mr Schiavon. “Because we developed this technology much earlier than others, we were able to accumulate a lot of experience compared to our competitors. Italcarrelli has always invested heavily in the development of electric cars; we have tested many types of motors and electronic controls for maximum performance from our machines.”

For several years the company has been using AC technology to allow the use of brushless motors, which are considerably higher performance compared to DC motors and require much less maintenance.

Another very important period for the company was in the late 1970s, when it produced the first side-loaders and large scale platforms. “These types of machines are some of our main products which find application in many sectors such as steel, foundry, glass, heavy construction, etc,” says Mr Schiavon.

In 1995 came the glass division. “Glass is an area where we have and we are still investing heavily. In a short time we managed to become a leader in this area, with a turnover in 2011 of €25 million, with operating machines in all major glassmaking factories around the world.”

What comes next for Italcarrelli? The market has evolved significantly over the past year particularly, says Mr Schiavon. “Companies today must be very dynamic and have the ability to adapt to the ever-changing market. We worked very hard to get to this reference position and now our goal is to consolidate it by following our values, which to date have been so successful, together with new paths of innovative machines, such as AGVs, which are increasingly required by our customers. n