Ellediesse has made the ability to respond promptly to market transformations its main business strategy, focusing on innovation. The history of this SME with headquarters in Bentivoglio, in the province of Bologna, is characterised by a clear distinction between a ‘before’ and an ‘after’. This marks the transition from a national reality to a company capable of producing with advanced technologies and proposing its products also on international markets. Ellediesse designs and builds heat sinks. It has been able to transform itself over the years thanks to investments in automation, Industry 4.0 and digitalisation. Together with Raffaele Guzzi, who joins his brother Gerardo at the helm of the company, we discover how this Emilian company has evolved over time.
How was Ellediesse born and what were the main stages of its growth?
Today’s Ellediesse has its ‘roots’ in a company founded in the Bologna area, in the mid-1980s, by three entrepreneurs linked by a friendship. The founding partners then decided to separate. And one of the three opened the company L.D.S., which focused on heat dissipation. The company collaborates with an engineering firm with which it designs heat sinks for the white goods industry. With the generational change, then, L.D.S. is led by the founder’s sons. At this stage, the company faces the crisis of 2008, and a branch of the company is first leased and then sold. The end of 2014 represents a watershed. My brother (who was L.D.S.’s sales manager), together with my two sons, transforms L.D.S. Sas into Ellediesse Srl. From that moment on, big changes took place, starting with a significant renewal of the machine park. Significant investments are made and every year an average of two new machines are purchased. So, we arrive in 2022 with a totally renewed machine park, having taken advantage of the benefits linked to the National Plan Industry 4.0. We are currently equipped with related machinery at our Bentivoglio site. And, in particular, part of the production is carried out by two prototypes capable of producing 1,500 pieces per hour. A significant increase compared to what could be done by an operator manually. The use of these machines not only guarantees an increase in productivity, but also ensures high precision, quality and safety.
Parallel to technological development, has the company also grown in terms of internationalisation?
Yes, the first steps were taken in Germany, France and Spain. And today Ellediesse is present in more than 20 countries through distributors, company partners and sales network. The company currently employs around 15 people working in the Bentivoglio factory (where the highest value-added solutions are manufactured), while other employees work in Romania to manufacture less technologically advanced products.
Are new technologies strategic for innovation?
Certainly, the transition to Industry 4.0 has been a revolution for us. All our machines are connected and already prepared for 5G. It is essential to constantly update. Otherwise you don’t stay in the market, and you can’t withstand competition from the Far East. We are also currently looking at Artificial Intelligence, which could be a valuable aid in researching new products. AI is indeed able to analyse large amounts of data and bring out innovative solutions. Clearly, one has to acquire the necessary skills to enter data correctly into the system so that it can then be processed. Training is indispensable and we are also focusing on this aspect: it is essential to grow human resources.
