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Made in Italy carries a certain kudos, and despite challenging business conditions in recent years, many Italian companies have chosen to remain true to their roots and face the difficulties in order to retain this prestigious label, rather than seeking a more economically viable option of relocating the production elsewhere. Emiflex S.p.A., headquartered in Varedo near Milan, is one such firm. The family concern, now in the second generation with a history spanning over 35 years, is a specialist manufacturer of pipes and tubes for both household and industrial use. The company is proud that its products are 100% made in Italy.

To thrive and prosper in the long term, a manufacturer must possess two attributes in particular: the ability to adapt to new developments in their particular industry, and the knowledge and financial wherewithal to adopt new technologies. The vision to foresee potential opportunities before the industry realizes the gap exists is also a key asset. Swedish firm Permascand AB is a perfect example of a company which, for almost 50 years, has had its finger on the pulse of technological, environmental and industrial developments, and has successfully adapted and expanded its product portfolio accordingly.

New production equipment is an expensive investment, and the decision on which machinery to choose is complex. Not only is the standard of the finished plant important, but the quality of its components contributes significantly to the final result. IMEL S.p.a., an Italian supplier of coating equipment, understands this and accompanies its customers through the end to end process from concept to after-sales to ensure an optimum experience.

Rubber is an indispensable material for many industries. It possesses many distinct features such as abrasion resistance, chemical and grease resistance, hot and cold temperature sustainability, and high tear strength. Pivotal car components such as tyres, O-rings, gaskets and seals are often made from rubber. Insit Industria SpA is a specialist when it comes to rubber parts for the automotive industry. The Italian company has a mixer compound used for in-house production, with the main materials compounded being ACM, AEM, HNBR, CR and FKM. Insit is one of the leading providers of reliable shaft sealing solutions.

It all began with the crucial question of how to produce energy from dung. SCHNELL Motoren GmbH in southern Germany came up with an appropriate answer more than 25 years ago, and, today, its highly efficient CHP units have set new benchmarks in heat and power generation from renewable primary products, with 4,100 CHP units in operation across Europe. Recently, the company has opened a new chapter in its company history by joining forces with Czech company TEDOM, itself a major player in the field of cogeneration and energetics. It seems that power is still on for SCHNELL Motoren.

To succeed as a medium-sized company in a sector where the big players have 80% of the market takes something very special, either in terms of your products or your service, or preferably both. With 160 employees, Rotis d.o.o., located in Slovenia, is a manufacturer of slew bearings and machine parts; nevertheless, it has found the secret to competing with, and beating, the large players, through its approach to product development and customer service.

Wood, milling, paper and pulp are key industries. However, large amounts of sawdust and fine particles are generated during processing that easily become airborne, endangering the health of workers and leading to uncomfortable and therefore less productive working conditions. For 60 years, JKF Industri A/S in Denmark has supplied customers in the wood processing, metal processing and flour milling industries with clean air equipment that allows them to meet strict health and safety legislation, and improve worker comfort and productivity. The company has grown to become a global force in dust extraction technology.

Thanks to the digital transformation, audio and video cassettes have gone the way of the dinosaur and other physical storage media seem headed in the same direction. Film and television can now be streamed on demand and all the music anyone could ever want to hear can be stored or accessed on a mobile phone. However, that is not the final word for storage technology. Hungarian company Tommy Invest Kft. makes magnetic card heads for Swedish electronics giant Philips and has seen no reduction in orders; far from it.

Ask any manufacturing company how it can best improve profitability and the answer is likely to involve increasing productivity. For manufacturers of turned cylindrical parts, Vici & C. SpA in Italy offers the latest innovation to take productivity to the next level, even for smaller batches. The new Vicivision Techno series of optical measuring machines allows every part produced on a CNC lathe to be measured within the production environment, thereby guaranteeing that time is saved.