For some time now, SILA, an Italian company with 33 employees based in Noale, has made itself a name with high-quality microencapsulated feed and only started six years ago to focus on dietary and nutritional supplements adapted for medical use.
“We always had the idea to launch innovative products running an intensive research and development lab” says General Manager and company founder Maurizio Lorenzon. “Diversity makes the difference. Working in the lab on new technologies opens up new perspectives not even imagined at the start, which are the beginning point for other new ideas. The experience in the laboratory is the germ of innovation: having an idea, bringing it forward and learning from mistakes…all seasoned with a good dose of optimism to see a resource in every failure, this is our formula”.
This strategy has long paid off. Due to its strict focus on innovation and quality, SILA has grown continuously. In 1999, it established its first plant, in 2004 the second one was built, and in 2010 a third site followed. Besides that, an annual growth rate of 25% illustrates SILA’s impressive expansion strategy.
“We literally started from scratch,” stresses Mr. Lorenzon. “Today, we are proud to have three modern plants equipped with the latest technology, a turnover of 15 million EUR and an export rate of 85%. Despite the crisis, there are still a lot of promising perspectives for our products.”
SILA still develops animal feed and supplements providing additives or premixes which are developed for different animal types and which meet the modern needs of the zootechnical sector.
“Our core business is the development of microencapsulated acidifiers, fatty acids, vitamins and amino acids,” says Mr. Lorenzon. “This business unit makes up 60% of our turnover. Thanks to our research and development lab, we regularly launch new products and seven years ago established a new food entity. Over the last year, we worked hard to get all necessary authorizations. And we have been successful.”
In 2007 already, SILA launched an innovative technology, a target-release microencapsulation specific for sodium butyrate that makes this organic acid particularly effective as anti-inflammatory, against intestinal diseases such as Crohn’s disease.
“The product is very effective, so we are convinced of its great potential,” underlines Mr. Lorenzon. “At the moment, there are a lot of tests, and we are getting very positive feedback. The product will be sold under the label BUTYROSE in pharmacies or parapharmacies and will be available on medical prescription.”
With BUTYROSE and other products in the pipeline, SILA has good reason to be optimistic about the future. Because Italy is a difficult market, exportation is becoming more and more important.
“Made in Italy still symbolizes outstanding quality,” says Mr. Lorenzon. “We have all the necessary certifications and see a lot of potential at home and abroad.”