Interview with Ivano Gerardi
GERARDI Lonate Pozzolo Varese Italy
“At EMO MILANO 2021 to develop new international partnerships”.
What does EMO MILANO represent for you and why have you decided to participate in the next edition of 2021?
EMO MILANO has always represented an ideal event to build up new contacts also with operators coming from very faraway countries.
Indeed, every participation in EMO has represented the beginning of a new international partnership for us.
We think that we will be able to develop new contacts also during the edition of this year, maybe from the Asian area, which is the one that started again before the others.
And, if the situation improves, as expected, EMO will be an excellent springboard for the operators of the sector searching for a new start in grand style.
Could you tell us in advance what you will exhibit at the trade show?
EMO MILANO 2021 is the suitable occasion to show novelties and launch new products. Besides our complete range of products – mainly characterised by work-holding products and tooling solutions – we at Gerardi will present grippers for robots to handle pieces or equipment for automatic tool change on machines, which will attract the interest of our customers, but also of new distribution channels. The focus of our product display will be the proposal of solutions that are more and more digital and automated. Moreover, this year we are celebrating the anniversary of our company’s foundation and the exhibition will offer a unique opportunity to celebrate our history and the goals we have achieved together with our customers.
What are your forecasts for the sector in 2021 and in 2022Quali sono le vostre previsioni di settore per il 2021 e per il 2022?
The year 2021 has started in line with the data of the last quarter 2020, i.e. in a very positive way. The outcomes we have obtained make us very optimistic also about the trend of our business activity for the whole rest of the current year. We think that there will be a continuous growth trend in the next months, so that at the end of 2021, we should return to the turnover level of 2019, the best year ever for Gerardi.
The orders collected on the Italian market are very satisfactory: we are working at full speed to be able to deliver the orders we have already received and meet the new ones that will arrive. Indeed, thanks to the incentives established in the Transition Plan 4.0, we expect an upturn of new orders by Italian users in the second part of 2021 and in 2022.
As far as foreign markets are concerned, what are the most dynamic ones and the ones showing a better recovery?
China, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine are the foreign countries where we achieved record-breaking results even in 2020, despite the pandemic. Now, in addition to these markets, we observe a good investment upswing also in the United States and in the United Kingdom. On the contrary, the recovery is slow in the countries of the EU, but we notice that it is accelerating its pace as vaccination progresses.
What characterises market demand presently? What are the technological trends affecting production?
At the moment, the market demand of the sector is characterised mostly by the issues of automation and digitalisation. An increasingly dynamic world, the incentives included in the Transition Plan 4.0 and the new requirements of work management are driving towards a wider and wider production of digital and innovative technological products. Customers are more often asking for the maximum efficiency of production cycles, as well as an optimal quality/price ratio and a constant and continuous after-sale service. Indeed, the improvement of Gerardi’s competitive product offering passes through automation of products. At EMO MILANO 2021, you will able to see it first-hand when visiting our stand!
