TPT November 2012

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Industry News
20 November 2012
Andrea Farinet, professor of
economics of LIUC University,
interviews Matteo Guglielmone
Which are the general aspects that
permit SOMO to succeed in the
international market, especially in this
economical crisis?
Since 1960 SOMO has always
produced customised presses and
shears machines supplying the
international market. In 2000, when
we understood that the market was
dominated by our competitors, which
were more economically competitive
because of their big series production,
we faced that we had to look for new
business opportunities. The chance
presented itself when the manufacturers
of stainless steel pipes, which had
modest and variable production batches
for diameter and length, gave us the
opportunity to use our bending know-
how and our engineering knowledge to
offer them what they were looking for.
In particular we have included special
bending tools to avoid losing time for
the tools change that usually lead to a
down time of the plant. We have inserted
a system of extraction and lifting of the
tube in order to send it automatically to
the subsequent steps of tack welding.
We focused our attention on the feeding
system and manipulation for handling
the metal sheet during forming, using
the electronics for controlling the quality
of the finished tube by measuring the
width of the sheet to be bent and during
the bending. Everything is managed
by a PLC entirely designed by SOMO,
which allows the production of pipes, one
different from the other, in sequence with
a very fast set up of the machine.
According to your long experience
in this business, how did you get such
positive results in so aggressive an
international market?
Our competitors, international holding
groups, producers of machines for
realising pipes of large dimensions,
have focused their business on the
pipeline industry and on a production
which has been characterised by big
batches and standard production.
SOMO’s strategy has been the one
to start supplying worldwide companies
which produced of small quantity of
product that had the requirement to
optimise the production and the quality
of their products, too. On the same time
the demands of some of our customers,
leading in the stainless steel pipes
market, asked us to study their market to
give them the best product for satisfying
their production needs.
In 2000 SOMO realised, for example,
a 2,000-ton press for an Australian
stainless steel tube company; we made
a 7m plant for an Italian company; and
we are now producing a 9,000t plant
for a Chinese company. The business
agreement with SOMO increased our
customers’ production and reduced their
costs. Not only because we were able
to offer our plants being competitive
in the international market but even for
the reason that our core business is
to understand our customers’ needs,
helping them from the beginning of their
investments, suggesting them even the
better economical strategy and look after
them even after we sold the plants: to
always be there when they need. I can
say for all these elements SOMO has
been so successful to be perceived as a
leader in this market niche.
According to your entrepreneurial
experience at the international level,
which could be the possible competitive
economic scenarios in the future?
China, India and Brazil are considered
the new emerging countries that in the
future could start making these kinds
of investments even if they do not have
the complete technology to produce the
stainless steel pipes.
On the other side, in Europe there are
companies that still have old production
processes and they could decide
to change their strategy to beat the
international competition, for example,
the ones who are producing lower cost
pipes with our machines. So that in the
future these companies could make new
investments for being competitive in the
international market.
SOMO Produzione SpA – Italy
Fax: +39 02 93561457
Email:
Website:
Andrea Farinet Srl – Italy
Email:
Website:
Management change
PATRICK E Connell has been appointed president at Kocks Pittsburgh Co,
an affiliate company in the USA of Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co KG in Hilden,
Germany. The independent, medium-size, family-owned company has been
successful in mill construction worldwide for more than 60 years.
Mr Connell joined Kocks Pittsburgh Co in July of 2005 and served in the
capacity of vice-president sales until recently. He succeeds in the new position
Mr Sergio A Filippini who has been appointed managing director sales and
marketing for Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co KG in Hilden, Germany.
Friedrich Kocks GmbH & Co KG – Germany
Fax: +49 2103 54 028
Email:
Website:
The SOMO tube plant