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Meeting at Piovan with Peter Dal Bo, Group CCO and Sara Masiero, Corporate Communication Manager.

comPETence: Today we would like to talk about the different PIOVAN technologies, their developments and the strategy behind them. To start in the present with a view to the future: What is already in the pipeline?

S.M.: We see rapid and healthy growth for the company. At the beginning of this year, the construction work for a new facility built according to sustainable construction criteria and with energy efficient equipment will start in Santa Maria di Sala (VE). We expect to be able to celebrate the grand opening of this new and modern building in 2019, the year of the K trade fair. With our company Una-Dyn (Universal Dynamics Inc.), Piovan is also looking forward to the completion of a high-tech plant in the US this year.

comPETence: Please give us a short overview of Piovan’s history.

S.M. The Piovan Company is now in its third generation. It was founded in 1934 by Mr Costante Piovan, the grandfather of our President and CEO, Mr Nicola Piovan. In the 1960s, Mr Luigi Piovan ushered in the plastics era. In the 1970s, the company focused on developing its products into systems, designing both machines and the complete factory engineering. Internationalisation also began during this period. In 1989, the headquarters was permanently moved to Santa Maria di Sala, Venice Province.

D.B.: Along with growth and internationalisation, Piovan has focused more and more on the customer’s needs. This is the mindset introduced by Mr Nicola Piovan, who made the mission statement “Customers. The core of our innovation” part of the Piovan brand. Today, Piovan is a multinational organisation.

comPETence: This brings us to my next question: Let’s talk about Piovan’s key topics, its strategy and its plans.

D.B.: We see very positive market outlooks for the coming year. All of our markets are expected to be at a high level for another couple of years. We have received the same feedback from OEMs and customers. We are also investing in differentiation as Piovan, not only in drying and dosing technology but also in chillers. In the US, we produce mainly Una-Dyn equipment, but we will also manufacture Piovan machines there in order to be more competitive in terms of lead time and to offer faster support to our customers in North America. On top of that, we have plans to expand our business in the field of automated handling systems for food ingredients. So you see, we have a lot of potential to keep on growing in the next three years.

comPETence: What are your plans regarding international business?

D.B.: We see great potential for growth in North America, but we have also been investing in Southeast Asia, with new subsidiaries and a new local organisation. We already have a strong position in China – where there is Piovan China, with its manufacturing plant in Suzhou near Shanghai – and we aim to bolster our presence there. In addition, we want to focus more on other Far East countries like Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Last but not least, we see good opportunities in Africa as well.

comPETence: How do you see the PIOVAN PET business?

D.B.: PET is still our core business and we certainly want to remain the leader in this market segment. At the last Drinktec, you saw our AIPC (Automatic Injection Pressure Control) technology. This technology is an upgrade of our Genesys drying system and makes it possible for customers to better control production and quality while also optimising the energy consumption of the complete process. One thing we have been looking at is not only the energy consumption of the dryer itself but of the whole system, i.e. dryer + injection moulding machine. Piovan has always been the leader in energy efficiency for drying technology, especially for PET. Of course, our competitors focus on this as well. What is different is our approach. Piovan doesn’t focus only on resin drying. We invest resources to take a close look at the system as a whole and how its performance can be increased.

Read the complete article published on ComPETence.