Interview with Filtrotecnica S.r.l.

• Company year of incorporation: 1979
• Year of association to the Consortium: 2015
• Turnover class: 5 mln €
• Products: design, construction and installation of air filtration and conditioning systems for civil and industrial environments.
• Industries: oil & gas, energy and mechanical engineering
• Foreign markets: European Union and MENA

We thank Antonio Groppi, general manager of Filtrotecnica, for having kindly answered our questions:

Hello Antonio, can you tell us about Filtrotecnica S.r.l.'s growth path in exports and internationalization?

Filtrotecnica Italiana was born 40 years ago, supplying its products only on the territory of northern Italy. With the growth of the company, the markets too expanded, first nationally and then in Europe; thanks to the fact that we work directly with multinationals in the energy and oil & gas sectors that have allowed us to be known internationally first in Europe and then in the rest of the world. Subsequently, the strong flexibility of our design, able to create products according to the real needs of the customer and the range of products offered, allowed us to export to countries where investments in oil & gas and energy were predominant: North Africa and the Middle East.

Can you tell us about the relationship with the Piacentini Exporters Consortium?

I became aware of the Consortium through its representative dr. Michele Buttò, who showed me this reality, its activities and its potential. I believed that supporting the promotion of trade abroad was essential for a company like mine and I was not wrong, CEPI is of great help for the ongoing internationalization process.

Could you please describe the company and its products?

Filtrotecnica Italiana Srl has been operating since 1979 exclusively in the air filtration and dedusting sector for civil and industrial plants.

The owned plant, located in Sariano di Gropparello in the province of Piacenza, covers an area of ​​6,500 m2 of which 3,000 m2 are covered. The production department has highly qualified personnel, modern numerical control machines for carpentry work and a test room for testing and control of filters and "in situ" control equipment.

Our technical department is the beating heart of the company and has the task of designing according to specific needs set by customers and the market. Customized and taylor-made products are our core business. The sales office, partly operating at the plant and partly at our Milan office, is made up of expert technicians able to understand and meet the demands of the various market sectors followed by the company.

What are the main tools used for international marketing and promotion and which of them are used in collaboration with CEPI?

Working on demand and according specific projects, it is important to have a good general visibility on the internet through the main search engines. It is also important to have an on-site sales network that makes the products known to the main-contractors as it is very important to be able to enter the vendor-lists. Exhibitions are another important tool for my activities: both to advertise the company and to search for new customers. We hardly ever participate to exhibitions in our own industry but mostly to events whose reference sector is the one of our customers.

Markets where you are exporting and where you want to expand

We currently export mainly to Europe (France and Germany) in North Africa and the Middle East. With the help of CEPI we are starting to target the Russian market by obtaining EAC certifications

Future plans:

Due to speculation on the prices of raw materials, certainly in the short term the project is that of a precautionary consolidation. As regards exports, as mentioned, the Russian market is very interesting and attractive, especially with the help of the services of the Consortium