Appliances with a difference Sabaf Group

APPLIANCES WITH A DIFFERENCE

The Sabaf Group – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of gas home appliance components and hinges for domestic ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers – has recently launched some exciting new products. As well as having a social conscience, the company differentiates itself through the high level of service that it provides. Barbara Rossi reports.

The Sabaf Group designs and manufactures components for gas cooking appliances, such as taps, thermostats, burners, accessories and hinges. The latter category of products, manufactured by Faringosi Hinges Srl, facilitates the smooth opening and closing of oven, washing machine, dishwasher and dryer doors. In addition to the design and manufacture of these products, Sabaf offers complementary services and has a hi-tech testing laboratory where it can test each product’s compliance with all relevant worldwide legislation. The company holds the ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications, as well as SA8000.

The group is composed of the holding company Sabaf SpA and of the subsidiaries Faringosi Hinges Srl (based in Milan) Sabaf Do Brasil (which manufactures burners for the South American market) and Sabaf Turkey (which also makes burners). The group also includes Sabaf Immobiliare, which manages its real estate, alongside Sabaf US Corporation, Sabaf Mexico S.a.d.c.v. and Sabaf Appliance Components Trading (China), which are all commercial companies. Lastly, it has a sales office in Poland.

Sabaf supplies its products to manufacturers of domestic gas cookers and built-in hobs and ovens, as well as manufacturers of household appliances such as washing machines, dryers, ovens and dishwashers. Alongside supplying products to the domestic market, the company exports to eastern and western Europe, as well as to other continents. However, a lot of the products sold in Italy are fitted into appliances which are then exported.

The new HE2.1 range

Recently Sabaf has expanded its Series II burners with the new HE2.1 range. This new version enables those already using Series II to increase the performance of their cooktops at no extra cost. In fact, simply

replacing the flame-spreader and its lid leads to energy savings of around 68 per cent. Series II was designed from the start as a modular system in which the burner cup fixed to the hob surface is common to all versions, thus enabling the creation of different models without the need for technical modifications to the appliance top. As well as being the most advanced and recent series, Series II HE 2.1 is able to increase the overall cooktop or free-standing cooker efficiency, guaranteeing the best results and user safety, as well as the lowest emissions.

Key advantages

Alongside its innovative products and high quality, Sabaf differentiates itself from competitors thanks to its strong service offering. In a market in which price and quality are a must by default, service has really become crucial and Sabaf certainly has a lot to offer in this field. In fact, it does not limit its customer service to its components, but extends it to the whole appliance. The company supports its clients during the product design and certification phases. Offering this level of support is no easy task, as it involves dealing with different sets of

country-specific legislation. However, complying with local legislation and obtaining local certifications is a requirement in order to export to different markets.

Having to repeat tests owing to non-compliance is extremely costly both in terms of time and money. Dealing with gas cooking products is quite complex, as it requires a high level of knowledge of the combustion process, different types of usage and how to best adapt individual components to the cooktop (especially burners and taps). Furthermore, specialised staff and a hi-tech

laboratory are also necessary. For this reason many manufacturers of gas appliances, who could simply employ their own technical departments for this task, prefer to rely on Sabaf, its expertise and facilities. Sabaf can test the appliances on which it has mounted its components and provide its clients with a comprehensive test report, which is then used as supporting evidence in the certification application process. This is what gives Sabaf a competitive edge.

Plans for growth

In the main, Sabaf intends to follow an organic expansion pattern, possibly aided by joint ventures both within and outside Europe. Its strategy is to pursue growth in international markets, replicating its cultural and industrial model in emerging countries, and always upholding its high level of service.

In addition to this, it aims to continue offering high quality and advanced technology, resulting in superior product performance in terms of environmental friendliness. The main material used by the group, aluminium, requires less energy expenditure during its extraction and processing than other materials employed in the industry. The group’s strategies also include the continuous development of new products to meet customers’ increasingly complex demands.

Furthermore, Sabaf will carry on developing the technical skills of its employees, its image and its reputation. It has achieved the latter thanks to the attention it dedicates to social issues, such as the Sabaf Charter of Values initiative, written according to the methodology recommended by SEAN and the Istituto Europeo per il Bilancio Sociale (IBS). This is based on the most important legislation and guidelines regarding human rights and corporate social responsibility both in Italy and worldwide. n

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