Salcavi Industrie, which operates with Salcavi and Salcavi Technic companies, aims at the offer differentiation to satisfy customers’ requirements. The technical know-how gained, the service care and the strict relationship with suppliers, together with the capability of offering technical consulting to clients, are the distinguishing factors of the Group.
Due to a strategy focused on the product and market diversification, Salcavi Industrie (Group specialized in the production of IMQ HAR approved cables, power cords with moulded plugs and special cables) have succeeded in growing in its over 40 years of history, despite the Far East competition and the complexity of the global context. The company’s evolution has led to a progressive know-how enhancement, permitting to offer a broad range of products to its customers, with particular service care. Salcavi was established in 1980 upon the initiative of Alessandro Sebastiani, who set it up in its homeland, in the outskirts of Rimini. Around ten years later, the company was joined by Salcavi Technic, enterprise mainly established for the manufacturing of special cables. In 1992, Sebastiani family took over Roplast (manufacturer of moulded plugs with cable, former customer of Salcavi) and in 2019 the latter merged in Salcavi itself. From 2019 to 2020, then, the latter has further enlarged the size of its manufacturing site, increasing the work surface. Presently, Salcavi Industrie is managed by the second generation of entrepreneurs, Daniele and Monica Sebastiani, respectively CEO of Salcavi and Salcavi Technic. Although Salcavi mainly operates on large volumes and Salcavi Technic on customized solutions, along the years an integration has been created between the two companies, permitting to satisfy customers’ various requirements with products that find applications in several ambits.
What sectors do you address?
Due to the broadness of our offer, we can supply different sectors: household appliances, lighting, industrial installations, audio-video and automotive. Household appliances, in particular, hold a relevant share in our turnover: about 40%. We often work with cablers or, as in the case of the professional hairdryer ambit, directly with finished product manufacturers. We have variegated customers and we have tried diversifying our offer precisely to meet customers’ requirement, as in their turn they often supply several sectors that can find a single partner in us. Concerning the application of our products in household appliances, more specifically we supply power cords with moulded plugs and cables for the internal wiring, for high and low temperatures.
Is your production fully Made in Italy?
Yes, we have three manufacturing sites exclusively in Italy. Certainly, it is not easy to maintain the manufacturing in Europe (especially for certain product typologies, such as power cords with plugs): to go on being competitive, we have tried differentiating our product range remarkably, as already said, besides, we have invested in technology and approvals. Furthermore, we have staked on flexibility, prompt delivery, service and made in Italy quality, being able to work also on quantities for which the provisioning in Far East would not be justified.
What part of your production is exported and what are the main export areas?
We export over 50% of our production, mainly in Europe.
Can you support customers with technical consulting?
Yes, we can. It sometimes happens that customers’ technical offices initially select a product that is redundant versus the application. Customers submit us the technical requisites that must be satisfied and we can propose some alternatives that often turn out more competitive than the first choice. In other cases, if we think of Salcavi Technic, we can support customers by working on specifications or on a project shared with the customer.
What other highlights characterize Salcavi in satisfying customers’ needs?
We can, for instance, supply cables that are then easily processed by automated plants. This aspect is important for many of our customers, which along the years have acquired machinery for automated machining. In the department where we manufacture power cords with moulded plugs, we rely on automated plants: therefore, we know problems and requirements. The machines that process the cable are equipped with sensors and cameras that detect the colour. They are sophisticated and expensive equipment, therefore the cable machinability is fundamental because, if the plant stops owing to the cable, inefficiency arouse. It is useless, in fact, to buy such ad advanced machine it the latter is then powered by an unsuitable cable.
Other customer typologies need instead to receive the cable with a customized packaging. We can satisfy also this requirement, paying attention to aspects that go beyond the product quality, to assure a good service level.
Do you carry out research and development activities?
We have collaborations with universities in progress, moreover we work with suppliers for the development of special materials that are used in our cables. Furthermore, we rely on two in-house laboratories that allow us to perform manifold test typologies: for instance, fatigue tests and tests of resistance to heat and to low temperatures. In addition, we have burn booths that conform to both European and American regulations: to be able to manufacture in compliance with both (since they are different), it is in fact necessary to rely on equipment that can carry out the test according to specific requisites.
Is the choice of raw materials a strategic element for the quality of your products?
The selection of raw materials is extremely important for us. We have a very strict relationship with our suppliers, of both plastic materials and of copper, because the materials’ quality influences the quality of our products and their machinability. Therefore, we try teaming up with suppliers: with some of them, we have a consolidated relationship that has lasted for over twenty years. Besides, we try privileging raw materials of Italian or European origin, to assure the product’s constant quality.
Concerning instead sustainability, have you invested in this ambit?
Yes, and not only presently. We have already tried for some time now privileging the use of green energy and we have also widened our photovoltaic production system. Moreover, even before the rise of energy prices was a topical issue, we had undertaken replacement programmes of obsolete (and then more energy-eater) machinery, in favour of systems exerting a lower impact in terms of energy absorption. We started these initiatives not in the last period but about ten years ago.
At entrepreneurial level, Salcavi has lived a generational turnover versus the founder: what new has the new generation brought?
First of all, we have tried enhancing our ranking on foreign markets and this has also implied the product diversification and the increase of foreign approvals: they are mutually connected aspects. Moreover, hand in hand with the growth course, we have been committed to boosting the team’s skills and we have also invested in the process automation and in IT.
How have you faced these so complex recent years on a global scale?
The absence of a rigid structure has allowed us to satisfy customers’ demands even in particularly challenging moments from the demand increment point of view: we have in fact succeeded in granting anyway short delivery terms. Besides, even if in the Covid period we registered a shrinkage of our activity, we have anyway recovered quite quickly. Finally, in the last two years, like many companies we had to face problems connected with the provisioning of raw materials and prices’ volatility: we have dealt with the situation by benefitting from the strict collaboration established with our suppliers, which has permitted us to be constantly provisioned with the necessary materials for production.
What targets do you intend to hit for the future?
Considering that in the last two years we have achieved extremely positive performances, it is hard to think the trend may continue with this rate. Therefore, our goal is consolidating the positions reached and to go on growing in the diversification.
