Interview carried out by the magazine “Le Strade”
Malaguti is gradually and inexorably growing and the range is enriched.
The Officine Malaguti company was born in 1969. It was founded by Gaetano Malaguti who, after twenty years of work experience in a mechanical industry, having acquired technical-operational and personnel management skills, decided to set up his own company in Sant'Agata Bolognese, in the province of Bologna. The company helm then passes to his son Ivan, who is still the owner today, who expands his market by rigorously increasing the production of Malaguti branded items, maintaining the quality and solidity that have made the Sant'Agata Bolognese company a leading player on the market. for over fifty years. Several and positive news It is May 2021: leStrade meets Giorgio Cangini to better understand the backbone of his commitment in his new professional role with Malaguti. In fact, a month earlier, i.e. in April 2021, Cangini Benne communicates that it has sold the company shares to Lifco AB. And, at the same time, Giorgio Cangini sells his shares and leaves the presidency of Cangini Benne itself. A little over a year has passed since then. We returned to meet Giorgio Cangini, who is now part of the Board of Directors of Officine Malaguti of Sant'Agata Bolognese. Today, in fact, Malaguti cannot be referred to without Giorgio Cangini: after a fruitful meeting in 2019 with Ivan Malaguti, Cangini initiates an internal reorganization of the company: he increases the commercial force and inserts a marketing and a design office . A year after our meeting, we wanted to verify if our entrepreneurial vocation still has the freshness demonstrated over the decades, starting from that 1989 in which he founded Cangini Benne. Well, the enamel of the entrepreneur is still there, because being able to translate thoughts into deeds and not allowing words to remain words, but making sure that they become actions, is the proof, more than any other evident, that we are progressing. In this specific case, the considerations we have gathered from the voice of Cangini himself are proof of this. What's new? The most relevant news is that Malaguti is gradually and inexorably growing. The requests are increasing, the market share is widening (the company has doubled its turnover and is in the process of increasing). Consequently, we are expanding the range, we are enriching our equipment with new options and new and more versatile functions. Is your growth translating into the acquisition of new production spaces? Malaguti of Sant'Agata Bolognese needed to expand its production and therefore, in light of this, it was decided to open a branch in Sarsina, in the province of Forlì-Cesena. In Sant'Agata Bolognese the current production continues, while in Sarsina the existing production is developed, as well as a new line of products. The new site has a production space of approximately 1,500 m2. Between the internal and external areas, the available extension is approximately 3,000 m2. Why the choice of Sarsina? In the Sant'Agata area we had some difficulty finding the right establishment and one to buy. We needed a space that was immediately available. The need to grow was fast and therefore it was necessary to decide instantly. I had a property in Sarsina and, therefore, we focused on that. We are now completing organizing this space, to increase our production, as the market requires, and, in a few weeks, the headquarters will be fully operational. In Sarsina, initially, there will be six people employed, but we intend to reach about 25 employees. When we have also saturated this operational space we will see what to do. What does expanding the market mean for Officine Malaguti? For us it means being more present on the national market. We are also very interested in the European market: from the Scandinavian countries to Portugal. But let's also look at North Africa. We also have some customers in New Zealand, Canada and Northern USA. Our reference market, however, remains the European one. Are you planning the development of new products? We are working to improve existing ones, but also to develop new products, yes. We are in a phase of growth and evolution. We spoke last year for an interview. It's been a year. Are you able to formulate an assessment of the experience with Malaguti? Last year I had just sold Cangini Benne. I had just arrived in Malaguti. I had some projects that are gradually taking shape today: we reorganized production, we reorganized the projects, because they had an interesting room for improvement. All of this has largely been done. We will therefore present ourselves at the fair, at Bauma in Munich, with a renewed range. The balance is therefore positive. We have both grown with numbers, but I think we have also built the foundations for a new growth and success story. What products do you offer for road construction sites? Our vibratory plates are particularly suitable for road maintenance work. We are also working on pile drivers, because we have noticed that they are increasingly used in road works (see the restructuring of the E45).