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HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
ST Powder Coatings: Growth at Full Speed in 2021
Eugenio Menato
ST Powder Coatings SpA – Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza), Italy eugenio.menato@stpowdercoatings.com
New investments and acquisitions are propelling ST Powder Coatings towards record results and confirming the company’s intention to position itself among the leading European players in the production of thermosetting powder coatings.
Despite the complicated situation worldwide due to the spread of Covid-19, ST Powder Coatings is not standing still. On the contrary, it is continuing to grow, invest, and believe in product research and in the pursuit of its own ambitious goals, geared towards becoming one of the leading European players in the market of thermosetting powder coatings. A new production line
Its biggest investment in 2021 has been the installation of a new production line specifically designed for small batches, called Piccolini (”Little ones” in Italian). The newly inaugurated plant has been fully integrated into its factory, already manufacturing over 10 thousand tonnes of product per year: with a total of 20,000 m2
devoted to production, this company is able to offer customers a variety of more than 10,000 products, of which about 1,000 are immediately available, even in small quantities. “This new production unit is innovative in our sector because it enables us to attack the market from an unexplored channel: that of micro-lots. The Piccolini line, therefore, allows us to look to the future and, at the same time, it consolidates one of our main strategic pillars, namely the development of highly customised solutions,” states CEO Marco Zadra. “This investment gives us the opportunity to better support our customers with product solutions in any weight – the sky is the limit. We have also decided to adopt the best of Industry 4.0-oriented technologies to create flexible processes and improve our quality levels and production standards,” adds Zadra.
The year 2021 was characterised by investments in highly efficient machinery interconnected with corporate software. The implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as collaborative robots, an automated vertical warehouse, machine monitoring systems, and complete data connection systems, guarantees extreme optimisation of the entire production process and ensures better quality levels. All these investments made it possible to activate a third work shift and hire around twenty new employees.
Smart offices and smart working as the focus for designing modern spaces
The operational and administrative headquarters in Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza, Italy), currently with 130 employees, has been reinvented with the aim of creating flexible and functional workspaces. Moving away from the idea of traditional work, ST Powder Coatings has taken up the concept of smart working and designed smart offices with quiet areas for focussed work, spaces organised to facilitate teamwork, and relaxation areas. Four meeting rooms were also created, all equipped with advanced audiovisual systems for remote meetings, which are increasingly common since the spread of Covid.
Commercial expansion abroad
In pursuit of its long-standing policy of commercial expansion, ST Powder Coatings has finalised the establishment of Polish company ST Powder Coatings Polska, Sp. Z
© ST Powder Coatings
The operational and administrative headquarters of ST Powder Coatings in Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza).
One of the four meeting rooms equipped with advanced audiovisual systems for remote meetings.
© ST Powder Coatings
o.o., based in Warsaw. This operation is preparatory to the opening of a new commercial subsidiary in Poland, which will directly oversee the local market. Entirely controlled by the Italian parent company, ST Powder Coatings Polska has thus joined the Group’s foreign distribution network consisting of Spain’s’ ST Powder Coatings España, Czech Republic’s Barten, Hungary’s Porfesték, and Portugal’s ST Powder Coatings Portugal. With this new subsidiary in Poland, the Group will now have five offices all over Europe, in addition to important partnerships with local distributors in the main EU countries.
Record growth in the first half of 2021
Although the market remains in a state of general uncertainty due to some exogenous factors, ST Powder Coatings saw record growth rates in terms of sales in the first half of 2021. “The results for the first six months of 2021 consolidated the positive trend that began in the last quarter of 2020. They put the company back on a growth path, thanks to revenues and profits that were even higher than the same period in 2019,” states CEO Marco Zadra. “All business segments and geographical areas in which we operate grew at double-digit rates compared to the first half of 2020.” “The level of orders for the coming months is also steady. Our Group is constantly monitoring the impact of the current shortage of raw materials, but based on the present scenario and the results achieved in the first half of the year, we expect to achieve the target of €40 million in sales in 2021 and thus enter the circle of the leading European powder coating producers.”
© ST Powder Coatings
Above, the inside of the factory, recently renovated in line with the Industry 4.0 principles.
The implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies has involved the installation of collaborative robots.
© ST Powder Coatings
