Advancing water technology Watts Industries Italia

ADVANCING WATER TECHNOLOGY

A national leader in heating, air-conditioning, plumbing and all relevant appliances and accessories, Watts Industries Italia S.r.l. operates according to the ‘Technology by Nature’ slogan, shared by the whole Watts Water Technologies Group. Barbara Rossi reports.

Watts Industries Italia, based in Biassono, in the Monza area, about 20 kilometres north-east of Milan, was established in 1993 and belongs to the Boston-headquartered Watts Water Technologies Group. In particular, it is part of Watts Industries Europe B.V. the European division of the organisation, which thanks to its extensive range of valves, units, controls and accessories, has achieved turnovers of more than €450 million in recent years. At European level, Watts Industries operates through 26 companies, 20 sales offices and 20 production sites – the latter are all ISO 9001 certified – employing more than 2000 people overall. Its products are subdivided into four main categories: room heating and coding; sanitary, water quality and distribution; drainage and piping systems; and other applications.

Its secrets for success are continuously striving for technological and strategic innovation, quality optimisation, a focused distribution network, excellent customer service and a strict policy of employing local expertise and structuring divisions throughout the geographical area that it covers, so as to offer a consistent local service to all its European customers. This is accompanied by a true commitment to the environment.

Keeping an eye on the environment

Replicating the range, philosophy and success of the rest of the group, Watts Industries Italia, headed by MD Umberto Ferretti, contributes significantly to the European turnover figures and is responsible for North Africa and the Middle East, as well as for southern Europe. In line with the rest of the group, the company abides by strict environmental standards and, in fact, Watts Industries Italia produces many of the components used in solar pump units.

Operating from three sites – located in Monza, Trento and near Ferrara – and employing 300 members of staff, the company supplies both wholesale distributors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), offering a range of products rich in energy-saving devices. These include Domocal, a multifunction device, featuring 63 different models, covering every specification and providing a high-capacity heat exchanger, Domo-compact, a pre-assembled temperature control, thermal energy meter and Francoil, an energy-saving valve for heating and air-conditioning systems; as well as heating systems featuring quickconnect one-piece fittings, zone control and heat metering. Some of the other products which contribute to the major role that the company plays in the sector, making it a real leader on the Italian heating, air-conditioning and plumbing market, are flush model manifolds, balancing valves billing systems and hydraulic backflow preventer units; as well as a new series of reliable performance products, such as digital and radio frequency thermostats, new concept thermal energy meters, components for solar systems, and a new domestic hot water distribution system.

Specifically, recent products developed include the 26 LC low energy consumption electro-thermal actuators, available in a range of models, used for ON/OFF control of thermal output of heating and air-conditioning terminal units. There is also a low thermal

T.F.C. s.n.c. di Carini & Trappa CUSTOMISED MECHANICAL PROCESSING WITH TRANSFER MACHINES www.tfcsnc.com - info@tfcsnc.com

With over 30 years of experience, T.F.C s.n.c is specialised in mechanical processing of customised components for third parties (brass, aluminium, adz, ecobrass, sp, A105N, awp, copper, bronze, castings).

Thanks to the high level of technical efficiency, fl exibility and reliability, in terms of fulfilling customers’ requirements with regard to delivery dates and service, T.F.C s.n.c has managed to retain numerous Italian and foreign customers over the years.

We manufacture fi nished components for taps, valves, tubes, sleeves, meter bodies, manifolds, etc....moulded or die-casted, from 3MAs to 4 inches, with orders ranging from 50 to 100,000 pieces, thanks to our 13 transfer machines.

Furthermore, we also offer fi nishing processes, such as deburring, nickeling, sandblasting, chrome plating, etc.

All production process stages, from design evaluation to tools and then components manufacturing, as well as packaging and shipping, are carefully monitored by qualified staff.

T.F.C. s.n.c. di Carini & Trappa Via Zanardelli, 173 – 25060 Marcheno (BS) – Italy Tel. +39 030/8960431 - Fax +39 030/8960423

inertia thermostatic valve, featuring a response time below 40 minutes. This simple automatic regulation device allows the user to set the desired temperature in individual rooms only using the strictly necessary energy, ensuring high environmental comfort, together with energy savings, thus complying with CEN EN 215/06 regulations. Alongside these, there is a wide range of programmable digital timers – Milux, Milux Star, Milux RF, Milux Star RF – for clever and flexible daily or weekly programming of heating and air conditioning, offering easy installation and usage and the CA405 series compact thermal energy measuring devices, which act as a real aid in terms of monitoring and control of heating consumption, in particular for centralised heating systems, as they can be easily installed in horizontal distribution systems, empowering and encouraging each household to monitor and regulate own usage. Last, but not least, there is the CAMICAL series of thermal energy measuring devices, featuring high quality and precision, which when used in conjunction with volume meters allows for a direct measuring system of thermal energy used in airconditioning with centralised heat generation.

Recently the company has received an award from AVR (Associazione Italiana Costruttori Valvole e Rubinetterie – The Italian Association of Valve and Tap Manufacturers) for its long-standing loyalty, as Watts Industries Italia was one of the first companies to join the organisation. Another recognition recently received has been the Company Longevity Prize awarded to Watts Industries Italia by Confindustria Monza and Brianza, whose aims and projects the company has always shared.

Watts Industries Italia quickly overcame the economic crisis of 2009, having restored pre-crisis volumes by 2011, thanks to a cost reduction strategy and an ability to respond to market changes. This endeavour was further aided by the pillars underpinning the company’s success, namely continuous investments in R&D – enabling the company to always fulfil the needs of the market – thanks to renewed and innovative products; an excellent and attentive customer service; and a name of the calibre of Watts, which thanks to its history is a guarantee of high quality and reliable products.

Furthermore, in recent years, the company has improved its organisational processes, thanks to significant investments in terms of modernisation of production facilities, so as to improve the service quality offered to customers. n