Interview with Marco Rizzi
MAKINO Cavenago di Brianza MB Italy
“At EMO MILANO 2021 machines and augmented reality, that’s how MAKINO will exhibit again at the world exhibition”.
Mr Rizzi, your company will take part in EMO MILANO 2021 after being absent at the last edition of 2015. What drove you to exhibit at the next edition in October?
Over the last few years, MAKINO has completely redefined its strategic business plan, identifying the participation in international exhibitions as the essential means to improve its positioning in the market of reference. In this connection, EMO MILANO 2021 is the Event par excellence, at which MAKINO is looking with high expectations. Italy and Germany are our most important markets in Europe and the world trade show in October will give us great visibility towards Italian and foreign operators. Our customers are asking to meet us in person: at EMO MILANO 2021, this will be possible. We look forward to it.
What are you experiencing in the current year? Are you positive about the expected recovery?
The market is bubbling over with activity. However, the good news is that the dynamism we have been experiencing in Italy for already six months will also continue in the next years. Indeed, the new investments, supported also by the incentives established in the Transition Plan 4.0, actually concern even 2022 and 2023. This mid/long-term trend makes us very optimistic about the future, but, at the same time, urges us to be very rigorous in planning our production and supplies to meet our delivery dates of the machines.
In which markets are you having the best performances in this upswing phase?
At the moment, the Asian market is undoubtedly the most receptive one and, in particular, China has achieved a new record in machine tool consumption, actually going over its pre-Covid level. The US market is also growing, even if at a different pace compared with the Asian one. In Europe, Italy is standing out from all others.
What are the features required by the market that affect production and, in particular, your product offering?
The flexibility of a product is the aspect that mostly affects product offering. The market requires more and more machines that can be easily and quickly reconfigured for numerous and different applications. Our customers ask for machinery suitable for operating in different sectors, with a higher and higher automation level and a 24-hour continuous cycle.
Do you think that this technological boost and this search for flexibility are direct consequences of the pandemic?
Only partially. The pandemic has surely accelerated this trend, but change was already in the air. The growing global competition, the entry of new countries into the marketplace and the successful establishment of new companies capable of offering more and more reliable, high-performance solutions call for an increasing attention to the issue of competitiveness that implies flexibility, high quality and accurate management of time and resources. It is on these factors that the market challenge is played today.
Have you already decided how you will present your company at EMO MILANO 2021?
We will create an open space that will invite the public to enter, interact and see our technologies first-hand, obviously in full compliance with all safety protocols. We will exhibit our novelties and, in particular, our new models of 4-axis and 5-axis horizontal machines. To complement these items, we will present a series of Industry 4.0 proposals, with fully innovative automation solutions.
The product catalogue of Makino is so wide that it would be impossible to offer a comprehensive presentation of our whole range. Therefore, our stand will host an area of virtual experience, where, thanks to augmented reality, our visitors will be able to discover all functions of our products, the features of their production cycles and all details, as if they were really exhibited there. Because even these technologies are more and more becoming a part of our sector.
