A new structure Maie

A NEW STRUCTURE

Maie SpA is an Italian distributor of agricultural, construction and industrial equipment, working in partnership with some of the leading machinery manufacturers. Barbara Rossi talks to marketing director Andrea Dal Bello to find out more about the company’s activities.

Maie SpA is headquartered in Ravenna, Italy, but also has three other branches in Udine, Padova and Ancona, all offering the company’s entire range of products and services. In addition to this, there is a hire and repairs centre in Parma and a network of other authorised hire and repair centres located in all the regions in which it operates.

Core activities

The company’s activities include the sale of new and used equipment, equipment hire and related services. In terms of new machines, Maie has long-term partnerships with major clients such as New Holland (Fiat), Bobcat and Sandvik. It distributes New Holland’s earth-moving equipment, Bobcat’s construction machines and Sandvik’s mobile crushers. Last April it also launched a partnership with Bomag to distribute its paving machinery.

The company has been involved in the sale of second-hand equipment for many years, specialising in good quality machines which are often only three or four years old. This area has been expanding since the end of 2010, when the Italian government ended its incentives for new equipment purchases.

The other area in which Maie operates is equipment hiring, in which it has been a market leader for years, but its main focus today is in the services it provides. For Maie, distribution is not simply a case of reselling the equipment; the company offers spare parts and assistance on both its hired and sold equipment. The most important development has been the expansion of new service contracts. These can be customised to meet clients’ needs, for example they can be for a set period or can last for the entire life of the machine. Furthermore, they can include just routine maintenance or cover any possible equipment problem. A wide variety of solutions are available , even including diagnostics and certifications to prove the safety of equipment and allow clients to comply with current legislation.

Coming back stronger

Mr Dal Bello also talked about the restructuring that Maie has undergone in response to the downturn in the sector. In fact, in the past few years Maie, along with its competitors, has seen a dramatic reduction in sales volumes owing to the crisis affecting the construction and infrastructure industries. This has meant that the company has had to reassess its plans for the future and implement some important measures. For example, it came to the conclusion that in the future there will no longer be space in the market for hybrid and medium-sized distributors. The marketing director believes the future players in this industry will belong to two categories: the first will consist of highly professional and very structured distributors, covering wider geographical areas and supplying high level clients; while the second will be made up of very small local distributors, supplying simple equipment and assistance to small companies such as local construction firms.

Maie elected to place itself in the first group. In order to achieve this, in June 2010 it began a restructuring process which involved the cessation of its activities in some Italian regions, such as Tuscany, Umbria and Piedmont. It then began to concenrate its operation in north-east and central-eastern Italy, distributing throughout Friuli Venezia-Giulia, Veneto, EmiliaRomagna and Marche. It has decided to focus on these areas because historically it has always maintained strong business partnerships here. Maie is still operating in the Lazio region, including Rome itself, thanks to its two subsidiary companies Biffoli and MAK.

In the short term there are no plans for geographical expansion as the market is still experiencing downturn, but the company could take steps in this direction in the future.

Maie can now count on a system which allows it to face the current crisis in a new way and which will ensure it can thrive on the market as soon as the downturn is over. This is particularly important in a sector where, as Mr Bello said, there are a lot of small businesses led by people who are not able to restructure and cope during difficult periods. n