For two decades, Kiepe Electric had been a subsidiary of Vossloh Kiepe, a globally operating supplier of electrical equipment for public transport, railway, plant construction, mining and material handling applications. The company was founded by Theodor Kiepe in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 1906. The Italian subsidiary was established in 1959 and acquired by Franco Cerretelli in 1979.
“Since then, we have been an independent electrical solutions provider,” says President and CEO Dr. Alessandra Silvia Cerretelli. “Our advantage was that we were able to build a bridge between German suppliers and Italian customers as we knew both sides.”
Based in the Italian province of Milan, Kiepe Electric serves five major markets: public transportation, industry, fire protection, fall protection and process engineering.
“Our five divisions are distinguished by individual product icons and colours, such as red for fire protection or green for environment-friendly public transportation,” states Dr. Cerretelli. “We have also abandoned the ‘Electric’ in our brand name as most customers just know us under the name of Kiepe.”
Kiepe Electric has 22 employees and annual sales of five to six million EUR. The company has a branch operation in Spain and wants to expand its international activities further. “For this purpose, we have created KE Worldwide as a separate brand for all export markets,” explains Dr. Cerretelli.
The comprehensive product portfolio of Kiepe Electric ranges from overhead contact lines and signaling equipment for local public transportation, monitoring devices for conveyor engineering and electrical equipment for industrial applications to pumps, valves, heat exchangers, fire doors, sprinklers and anti-fall guard devices.
In many product segments, the company has leading positions in Italy, such as control systems for cranes, electrical equipment for trams and trolley buses, and fall protection devices for use in difficult environments such as steel plants.
“We understand our customers’ individual needs very well and always aim to deliver a made-to-measure solution,” Dr. Cerretelli gives the main reason for the success of Kiepe Electric. Another reason is the company’s excellent cooperation with its suppliers.
Kiepe Electric aims to develop its position further in all business units. “We are currently evaluating Argentina as a potential new market,” concludes Dr. Cerretelli.
