Thanks to new projects and solutions, CMI, a manufacturer of hinges for household appliances that is part of the SABAF group, continues to grow by working in close contact with its customers, to whom it proposes effective ad hoc products.
by Massimiliano Luce
The pandemic has upset many markets, not all of them. Some companies are going through the current period, which is as complex from an ecomonic point of view as few others, and still achieving positive results. One example, in this direction, is CMI, an Italian company that designs and manufactures mechanical hinges for household appliances.
«CMI is experiencing a particularly positive moment», says in fact Paolo Santini, CEO of CMI, «both due to the favorable conjuncture that our sector is experiencing as a result of the pandemic, which forcing people to a “more homemade” life has determined a very important growth in the demand for household appliances; and due to a series of new projects under development born not only with traditional customers, but also thanks to the commercial synergy created following CMI’s entry within the SABAF group».
Three strengths
Today there are at least three strengths that CMI relies on every day, operating on the market. First of all skills, a value that can make the difference.
«Competence and technical know-how allow us to be able to respond promptly to our clients’ requests, with innovative and effective solutions, even in business sectors that were previously far from our standards», Santini emphasizes. «I believe this is a distinctive element, which is allowing and will allow CMI to represent more and more a reference point in the market of hinges for household appliances».
The second strength on which CMI rests relates to the quality of its relationship with customers. «The long-term relationship with many of them, to be considered partners and not just suppliers, allows us to look at the business relationship with our customers not only in terms of price competition, but also and above all in a win-win logic of cooperation for development and growth». Equally important for Santini is being part of the SABAF group. «Being part of a multinational group able to support more solidly and effectively the development of the business is our third strenght: being part of the SABAF group has allowed CMI not only to strengthen its presence on the market, but also and above all to be able to develop the growth strategy that we had in mind for years and that alone or with the previous industrial partner seemed more complex to achieve. Our goal was and is to be “glocal:” global and local at the same time. Thanks to joining the SABAF group, I am convinced that we will be able to achieve it».
A partner for the client
The “new normality” generated by the pandemic is certainly creating new market balances, which see the emergence of new needs and trends replacing others that have characterized the past. A set of changes grasped by CMI itself, in order to update and enrich its business strategies. «The pandemic has certainly forced all our customers, including large multinationals, to rethink their business model, both at the production and logistics management level», confirms Santini. «This will be an opportunity for us, but it could also be a threat. What we see is that our customers are increasingly interested in having partners that can support their global platforms in close proximity to strategically relevant areas for production purposes. Thinking of serving the world from Crespellano, a hamlet in the municipality of Valsamoggia in the province of Bologna, was anachronistic, and post-pandemic it will be even more so». As a result, to meet the upcoming market challenges, CMI will develop its business strategy in multiple directions. «In short: sustainable innovation, production internationalization in areas of high strategic importance, diversification of the product and customer portfolio».
Strolling into the future
Speaking of products, CMI is ready to bet on one in particular for the future. «We have developed an innovative modular hinge that, starting from a common standard basic structure, will be able to be implemented in terms of functionality (soft, dual soft, motorized) and performance (multi-balance) according to the targeted requirements of the customer». On these bases, CMI can look to the future with confidence, setting clear objectives for the second half of 2021, which are: «to finalize an important negotiation with a new customer that is emerging as an important new player; to go into production with an important project for one of our multinational customers; to develop an innovative project of a hinge for side by side refrigerator doors for a new important customer that will allow us to strengthen ourselves in this sector too», concludes Santini.
