Aignep confirms its international propensity for the production of components for fluids and compressed air, releasing the new “16V” and “54000” series
Established in 1976 in Brescia province, today Aignep stands out as a benchmark in the production of components for the transport of fluids and compressed air. The whole manufacturing is carried out in Italy, but its international scope is witnessed by the presence of nine branches widespread all over the world. This global network enables a direct contact with customers and assures the capability of supplying over one hundred Countries with a broad range of products, including solenoid valves, cylinders and fittings. Let us talk about the company’s activity with the CEO Graziano Bugatti.
What is the business card of Aignep?
We stand out for our propensity for specialization and the capability of offering a tailored service to customers, thanks to five different product lines with which we operate on the market. We are referring to fittings, automatic couplings, components for automation such as valves, actuators and FRL units, as well as handling and fluidity, a range of solenoid valves for every kind of fluid and Infinity, distribution system. The staff’s constant training, the consolidated technical competences and the technological innovation are the strongholds of our Research and Development Department, unceasingly committed to finding cutting-edge solutions. From this point of view, a significant turning point is represented by the choice, made four years ago, of executing in-house all phases in our structures, including product test ones, whereas we previously used external laboratories, too. This allows us to fully control the process phases but especially to be able to obtain faster responses at all levels, resulting in higher efficiency due to the capability of more enhancing business policies.
How has your offer evolved in time?
Aignep has always been able to stand out for a constant growth. Currently, although we are relatively young in comparison with many sector competitors, we can boast a presence of over twenty years on foreign markets, with the first European branches that have played a crucial role in our development. The product range has been progressively enlarged in time, reaching the sector of the fluid management, and then with solutions for oils, industrial liquids and for the process control. Therefore, at present we can reach a broad array of industrial sectors, becoming a reference reality in automation and in industry in general, and 70% of the turnover generated abroad, first in Europe and North America and with a great growth potential in Asia.
Can we speak of novelties on the market?
Among the new additions to the product line, I am highlighting the recent introduction of the of 16V solenoid valves series. This range has been designed to satisfy the manifold requirements of several applications, being characterized by its modularity, user-friendly maintenance, variety of available connectors and the capability of replacing the valves without needing to disconnect pneumatic fittings in complicated ways. The higher compactness of this series is fundamental to assure all these advantages, making it particularly suitable for applications in sectors like pneumatic automation, robotics, handling, the automotive, textile, packaging, pharmaceutical and food industry. The main highlights of this range of solenoid valves include not only the user-friendly fast replacement but also the overall system simplification, together with a wide range of electronic control modules that are compatible with the primary communication protocols. Furthermore, due to the low energy consumption, these valves offer high energy efficiency. They can operate with various pressures and also under vacuum conditions, meanwhile assuring an extremely simple maintenance. In the field of automatic couplings, the 54000 line represents the latest novelty, designed to meet the constant regulatory evolutions in the food sector.
What characterizes it?
This product line is compliant with MOCA 1935/2004/CE directive and made with food-grade engineering plastics, equipped with EPDM food-grade seals and able to grant the food compatibility, together with the resistance to high temperatures, up to 95°C. The primary advantages of this series of fittings highlight the user-friendly instantaneous connection and disconnection, the low weight, the broad range of choices, the complete passage and the vacuum sealing. These features make them suitable not only for the agri-food industry and for the food & beverage sector, but also for applications in coffee machines, in the medical sector and in the vacuum industry. Among noteworthy technical specifications, an important role is played by the stainless-steel clamping washer, which grants a perfect tube fixing without damaging the surface, irrespective of the tube material.
What are your strategies for next years, also in the light of the difficult international situation?
The constant research of solutions to increase Aignep’s competitiveness in the market remains a key element, especially in this period characterized by global uncertainties in different sectors. We cannot deny that, in this time, long-term planning is difficult for anyone in our sector. The uncertainty regarding the world economic situation is tangible, and some Countries that have traditionally been a benchmark for the Italian industry, such as Germany, at present show not so smart data. However, as a Group, we believe we can rely on the necessary competences and skills to mitigate eventual drops through the introduction of new products, allowing us to recover market shares versus competitors. Among the medium-term corporate goals, there is the development of the international commercial presence with the establishment of two new sites, one in Vietnam and one in Mexico. We foresee also the launch of new products, including a series of solenoid valves for automation, and an increment of the presence in the sector of fittings for drinking water and in automatic dispensers.
