Moulding the business of tomorrow Farina Presse

MOULDING THE BUSINESS OF TOMORROW

Innovation and customisation are the main strengths of Farina Presse Srl, the leading Italian manufacturer of advanced equipment for hot metal forging. Daniele Garavaglia talks to sales manager Claudio Di Stefano about the company’s clear-cut vision of growth in emerging automotive markets.

IT takes courage, as well as some consolidated know-how, to launch the production of the largest hot metal forging press ever built in Italy: a super press with a force of 8000 tonnes, 17 metres in height and weighing over 750 tonnes, whose assembly itself called for the erection of a purpose-built industrial warehouse.

“The machine has been running for a few months at one of our Italian customers’ plants, with excellent feedback as regards its operation,” says Claudio Di Stefano. Founded in 1932 by Domenico Farina, it is now managed by the brothers Domenico and Paolo Civardi. “The company’s philosophy has always consisted of moving ahead with confidence and caution, taking into account the fall-out on employment while always remaining open to innovation. The production of a 8000-tonne press has also shown our trust in and respect for our employees, who are our biggest asset.”

Automating the hot forging process

Established as a metal cutting die construction workshop, Farina Presse grew quickly and the first machines were built to test dies. In the 1970s, production focused on hot forging, something that required more complex equipment and special technology. From then on, the company’s production shifted to hot forging presses, extending its range to all the machines required to complete and

automate the hot forging process. Some examples are hot forging lines, automatic die change systems or robots that automatically handle pieces.

“The entire press manufacturing process, right from engineering design up to assembly and final testing, is managed by our staff at our facility in Suello (Lecco). Over time, we have identified and selected a number of suppliers with whom there has been a relationship and trust. They contribute to the quality of our products, even with high precision machining, ensuring reliable, safe and durable components,” says Di Stefano.

An exceptional range

Farina Presse’s product range is exceptional for its quality and breadth: it meets any power and design requirement, offering complete lines for 750-tonne hot forging up to the 8000-tonne super press. All its processes comply with quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001) and workplace safety certifications (BS OHSAS 18001). However, this is not the result of mass production: “Each machine is tailor-made. Unlike our foreign competitors, we adopt a reverse engineering strategy. Our customers explain what piece they need to produce, the dies they must use and the energy they need: then we design and manufacture the customised machine according to their requirements and specifications.”

Thanks to this problem-solving approach, Farina Presse has made inroads into foreign markets. It produces complete systems for the suppliers of the major automotive groups (Volkswagen, Daimler-Benz, FCA, etc.) and other sectors such as oil & gas and medical equipment, with very important installations in Europe, China, the United States and Mexico. Exports account for 65–70 per cent of the €20 million turnover.

Continuous investments in innovation

How can a small enterprise with around 50 employees compete in the global market with large German, Russian and Japanese giants? According to Claudio Di Stefano, it is down to the company’s “continuous and massive investments in technological innovation, through the analysis of market demand and the development of technical improvements.”

Farina Presse’s latest patents include a balancing cylinder safety device, a slider regulation device, and a new system for press energy recovery during upstroke and braking. “Such innovations are conceived and developed by our research and development office, in collaboration with university departments for research on materials and processes. We are also responding to a call from the European funding programme Horizon 2020; we have just received the seal of excellence for a project on energy recovery,” he adds.

Focusing on global markets

The company’s growth strategy is therefore strongly connected to the evolution of demand and its ability to satisfy it: “Our main market is Europe and all of our sales in non-European countries are spawned by European customers who open production plants in other continents. But we are directly approaching markets such as China, in order to serve a high-level target that works for European customers first hand. We are also trying to establish a more structured presence in Turkey and North America, where the hot forging production level is rather undeveloped and where we could leverage all our technological know-how.” n