Making available innovative products, able to satisfy the requirements of distributors and producers, is the strategy to be winning, also in crisis times, of OMT, Bergamo company that proposes components for hydraulic power units.
They are state-of-art accumulators the novelty, in terms of products, on which OMT will focus in the next months. The Company, established at Treviglio (Bergamo, Italy), in 1967 and transferred to Calvenzano (Bergamo, Italy) about 8 years ago, is reacting to the crisis with decision, completing its range with innovative products.
«At present, we cannot describe the new accumulators in detail» states Luigi Pirovano, Italy sales manager of OMT. «In our Internet site, however, we have started advertising them and we have already sold the first units from the beginning of the year. To provide high-quality accumulators, we have invested in new machinery and widened our staff with new people, with a technological competence in these new products, who have relied on their knowledge to implement piston accumulators and bladder accumulators that will become important products inside our offer. The company was born by producing components, we intend to go on selling components to distributors and manufacturers. We will not distort our origin, we will not produce complete hydraulic power units because we do not intend to become competitors of our customers».
A constantly evolving company
Established as small craft company producing hydraulic components, more in detail couplings between motors and hydraulic pumps, the company still provides accumulators and joints, connection systems between the motor shaft and the pump shaft.
«Five years ago we widened our production thanks to the takeover of Luen, valve producer headquartered at Nonantola (Modena)» explains Pirovano. «The company was integrated with OMT; we keep the two company names separated, but we are a single Group.
Today we can propose 5 macro-groups of products: bell housings and elastic drive couplings for hydraulic transmission; filters; aluminium air/oil heat exchangers, joints, flange-elbow joints-manifolds; accessories». The range of valves and solenoid valves by Luen enriches the line of necessary components to complete the hydraulic power units.
«The five groups of OMT products are all managed in Calvenzano factory» specifies Pirovano. «80% of the material is fully produced inside the company. Concerning the internal couplings, we start from the raw material, only casting activities are performed outside. We operate also in the field of extraction activities.
Heat exchangers are products that we have been proposing for about 5 years; they are fully manufactured inside the company. We also make use of a furnace for braze welding».
The Calvenzano factory takes up a surface exceeding 8,000 square metres. The whole building has been recently constructed, it is equipped with lots of services in its inside, including a canteen for its employees.
The employees of OMT are about 54, while 22 are the workers of Luen; the turnover of the two companies surpasses 12 million Euros for OMT and reaches almost 6 millions for Luen.
«Among our strong points, it is worth mentioning the broadness of the product range on which we can rely for the completion of a hydraulic power unit » affirms Pirovano. «This constitutes an advantage for our commercial presentation.»
OMT bets also on fast delivery terms and on service, with competitive prices. This is what has allowed the company to grow quickly and to be winning.
In collaboration with the technical office, they have also examined new products, often deriving from customers’ demands. Customization is one of OMT’s strong points, too.
«Our customers are distributors and manufacturers of power units» adds Pirovano. «We have a commercial network well distributed in all Italy, we cover all regions». In the most strategic areas, like Emilia Romagna and Lombardy, two are the reference agents.
Active also abroad
«We are present also abroad» specifies Pirovano. «In Europe, in particular, we have several distributors; OMT brand is well represented in Spain, in France and in North Europe markets. Recently, we are also trying to face new markets, like Russia, China, South America and United States. For the future we want, at commercial level, to be more and more operating on the markets where we are currently scarcely present, like China and America, while on the European market, and especially on the Italian one, we are reaping the fruits of the winning work that we have carried out».
A source of pride, for OMT, consists in fully producing in Italy; the company is interested in foreign Countries from the commercial point of view.
«Nowadays we have no foreign branches» states Pirovano. «We mainly work with distributors and first installers. With our sales network, we have also succeeded in approaching outstanding OEM. In the automotive field, we collaborate with PM Autogroup, in the off-shore rig ambit with Oil Still and with other relevant brands in the various typologies of product sectors. We are present in all fields, from shipbuilding to mechanics and earth handling segment».
Reacting positively to the crisis
«Like everybody, we have been affected by the crisis of the last three years, too» comments Pirovano. «There was a turnover reduction also for us, but we have tried to react, promoting the company and investing in innovative products like the new accumulators. We are successful in reaching this goal. Customers are appreciating our products and our strategy; they particularly value the possibility of reducing costs, by purchasing products from a single supplier and consequently decreasing transport expenses».
The company is also provided with its in-house research and development department, which works in collaboration with the technical office. «We carry out research on new products and materials, just to propose something new to customers» says Pirovano. «In terms of marketing, we are also collaborating with the most important distributors in several nations; we are investing with them in various sector trade fairs, with our personnel presence, too. We take part in Hannover Messe, which we deem one of the main exhibitions, with our own stand, in other nations we avail ourselves of the collaboration with our distributors».
The company will be increasingly focused also on the communication via Web to interact with its own customers. At present, there are two Internet sites, one for OMT and one for Luen, with information about each company and its products. Each site is provided with a link to pass to the other. «We are also thinking of the design of a new Web site dedicated to heat exchangers and accumulators, because we want to boost these products. We are working well also on a world scale with several companies, with which we share Web pages.
We propose our catalogues, we are working with the virtual Direct Industry showcase, too. We have an interactive page where all of our catalogues are listed, in about 2 years of collaboration we have had several contacts. Over next months, accumulators will rank among the most strategic products, but further novelties will not miss, since the company always pays attention to the realization of new projects».
6_Filter of the OMTI series.
