Revenues above market's average annually invested in R&D
Based out of Como, Italy, and with technological expertise of nearly 70 years, Arioli is a name to reckon with in the textile finishing industry. Arioli provides complete line of textile finishing machinery for printing, steaming and washing. Fibre2Fashion spoke to Simone Morgante, Area Sales Manager of Arioli Group, to know more about Arioli's strengths, market demand of its machinery and new research work being undertaken in its niche.
What is the story behind formation of Arioli?
Arioli was founded in 1953. Its main activity consisted of supporting textile industries of Milan and Como provinces in Italy with machineries suitable for fabric printing. Since 1957, with the creation of the first continuous steam ager in the world, Arioli initiated a change intended to leave a mark in the history of the brand. The first excellent results characterised by a frenetic and intensive productive phase led our products to cross Italian borders, making Arioli a brand known worldwide. All the experience and technological expertise of more than half a century of activity has made Arioli synonymous of quality, excellence and great reference in the world of textile finishing.
Where is the manufacturing/ production done? How is the demand and supply worked out?
The manufacturing and production are done entirely in our headquarters in Gerenzano, Como area, Italy. In this area we have established a tight network of sub suppliers and vendors to be able to deliver our commitments effectively and quickly.
Who are your biggest competitors in the international market?
Having such a varied product portfolio means many competitors, both in Italy and in the world. However, Arioli's historic leadership, especially in the steamers' sector, has been only superficially affected by the inevitable presence of competitors.
What has been the effect of the pandemic on the textile machinery industry?
The entire textile sector is undergoing profound changes in all the markets in which Arioli is present. The harmful effects of the pandemic are still visible, and the wide fragmentation of the sector is at the basis of a decremented growth which obviously affected the finishing machinery subsector as well. However, 2021 showed positive signs of recovery which translated into new orders with excellent signs of hope for both Arioli and our customers.
What are the different types of textile finishing machines you manufacture?
Over the years, the range of Arioli products has diversified from the continuous steam ager, which remains our flagship and best-known product. We have added to our catalogue the steam ager "Flash", the loop and conveyor dryer, and continuous open width washing lines for both knitted and woven fabric, as part of our constant innovation process.
The latest products developed with the intention of confirming the role of leadership acquired over the years are the digital printer "ArioPrint", and the hybrid IQ Digital machine, a versatile digital DTG system fully integrated with screen printing technology.
How much do you invest in the annual maintenance of your machines? How much budget is earmarked for R&D?
A considerable amount of our revenues, above market's average, is annually invested by us in R&D for both upgrading the traditional products that made Arioli's name famous worldwide, and to develop new projects following the trends of the market.
What kind of research and development are you doing with respect to your niche?
We are continuously monitoring the market to identify the latest production trends and adapt our products to the needs of the operators. These are ultimately directed above all by greater growth in percentage terms in the digital printing sector and the reduction in energy consumptions. The investment in R&D can therefore be summarised in three directions: energy efficiency, maintaining high quality (in terms of construction and output) and adaptation of all our products to digital printing.
Which of your machines has the greatest demand?
Incredibly, after more than sixty years from its first version, the most popular machine is still the famous Arioli steamer. After many decades and versions developed to adapt to the constant demands of the market, the machine has now reached the "Hybrid" version. It comes in a double and specular configuration: the "High Productivity" meant for customers whose targets are high production volumes, low consumption and consistent quality, and "Hybrid ECO" model, particularly designed and suitable for customers who process digitally printed fabric.
What kind of after-sales services do you provide?
The customer is our target. We therefore provide a 360° attention to the customer, from pre to post sales. Our technical, service and after sales departments work continuously to respond to requests and keep continuous relation with the customer upon purchase of the machine.
How sustainable and energy-saving are your machines?
In Arioli we always monitor the market carefully to identify the newest trends and try to predict the direction in which the demand is going to move. Obviously the market has been witnessing a growing demand in terms of water and energy savings. For this reason, and as many of our target markets have become increasingly sensitive to this aspect - we are responding to the global need to be greener and eco-friendly by incorporating these values into all our products.
The Internet of Things, Industry 4.0 - all machinery is being increasingly geared towards that. How is Arioli keeping pace with that?
All the new products of Arioli comply with the Industry 4.0 guidelines released by the Italian government. These include: the integration between machines in the line, the tele-assistance (at distance), an increased automation of the processes, the export of production data, etc.
What are your future plans?
We have now left behind the dark aspects of 2020, characterised by numerous lockdowns that took place in Italy and by a procedure of debt reconstruction with banks and suppliers that positively ended in February 2021. For this reason, we have strengthened our financial position, acquiring new orders and rethinking a commercial and operational strategy that allows us to further entrench our presence in traditional markets and expand into new ones. We are expanding more and more in market sectors other than the traditional ones, with new machinery and new skills. (PC)
Published on: 07/06/2021
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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