Flexibility for the Customer

FLEXIBILITY FOR THE CUSTOMER
Special tool is still the salvation and, at the same time,the most promising growth opportunity in a globalmarket experiencing a period of crisis. And smallentrepreneurial organizations, flexible and active inspecific market niches, can grasp this opportuni-ty much better than “big companies”. An examplein this context is by Fapil(Fabbrica Attrezzature Perl'Industria del Legno) based in Zogno, Bergamo, thatcombines the traditional range of turning tools withthe production of special tools for in-line machinesand working centers, achieving an export share of85 percent. In a stagnating situation for the Italianmarket and during a slowdown of the internationalscenario, following customer demand is vital.Producing special tools has a double value, saysGiampaolo Pesenti, owner of Fapil with his broth-er Giuseppe and his sister Sara: negative, “becausewe do not deal with bigorders and so we haveproblems to make priceand organization sta-ble, positive becausespecial tools allow us tosurvive in a marketrecording a drop of 20percent. We try to followmarket niches and always offer custom solutions,also proposing a standard product for new appli-cations and technologies allowing customers to con-quer new markets and materials different from wood,according to the trends of furniture design”.Fapil has twelve employees and an export share of70 percent on total revenues. “Made in Italy is still oneof the few benefits for us, together with the capaci-ty of being flexible, but due to increasingly aggres-sive competition, we are facing excessive price com-pression that pushes company out of the market, withincreasing costs charged to the companies themselves”. Also a changing attitude of customers is af-fecting the trend of the market. “In the past, customersbought a long-lasting tool as a long-term investment,also for future production. Today, they buy high-per-formance tools only when they need, trying tospend as little money as possible. And they havelearned to see the difference and choose one or an-other”. Final customers and machinery manufactur-ers have different visions and they have to be bothsupported with attention. “The furniture manufactureris looking for long life and excellent performance, whilea technology manufacturer looks for a solution solv-ing machinery production and testing problems” ( Xylon Internatinal July-August 2013)

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