AN ENERGY EFFICIENT FUTURE Valmex SpA is building a production plant to manufacture a new line of stainless steel heat exchangers for condensing boilers, writes Barbara Rossi. Industry Europe talks to the company’s management control director, Francesca Capodagli.
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he Valmex roots go back to 1969, when MVM was established by Severino Capodagli in Lucrezia di Cartoceto, in Fano area of eastern central Italy. In 1999 Valmex SpA was set up as a manufacturer of heat exchangers for wall-mounted boilers and in 2013 the MVM cold pressing activities were incorporated in the Valmex group. A very recent and important development has been the strategic alliance with Orkli, which has acquired 40 per cent of Valmex’s shares, previously equally split between the Capodagli family and a Swedish industrialist. At the same time, the Capodagli family has increased its percentage of Valmex shares to 60 per cent, having purchased an additional 10 per cent from its previous partner, who decided to sell to Orkli and the Capodagli family for personal reasons. Based in the Basque Country, Orkli is part of Mondragon, the largest industrial cooperative group in the world. The synergy of the two groups – Valmex and Orkli – will aid the development of innovative solutions, favouring the acquisition of new markets and clients. Today Valmex has 230 employees and a €60 million turnover, and sells its products in five continents. All company plants are based in Lucrezia di Cartoceto. The main Valmex facilities can also be found here, manufacturing heat exchangers, while the MVM cold pressing plant is just across the road. The company is currently building a new 10.000m2 production site just behind its main facilities, where it will be producing a new range of stainless steel heat exchangers for high efficiency condensing boilers. 188 Industry Europe
Francesca Capodagli explains, “The Valmex business unit is specialised in heat exchangers for wall-mounted boilers. Originally, we manufactured these products using copper and then developed a range of aluminium models, still for traditional boilers. While we still manufacture both of these product lines, in recent years we have started manufacturing aluminium heat exchangers – called ‘heat recovery exchanger’ – in response to market demand for increasingly energy efficient products. These products are able to recuperate some of the heat traditionally lost during the heat exchange process. As we believe that energy efficient condensing boilers will gain an increasing hold on the market, first of all in Western countries and then in the rest of the world, we will be manufacturing stainless steel heat- exchangers for condensing boilers in our new plant.”
Condensing boilers in Europe and beyond “In Europe all new boilers have to be of the condensing type, owing to new legislation that came into force recently (i.e. Energy Related Products Directive 2009/125/CE). Our new range of stainless steel heat exchangers for condensing boilers will accompany our existing line of aluminium heat exchangers for high energy-efficiency boilers. We will also continue our production of heat exchangers for traditional boilers, because they are still in demand in non-EU markets.” Obviously, the construction of the new plant and the development of new products have required major investments. The plant will
