2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
What concrete initiatives have you already launched or are you planning to address the major ongoing transformations, including the green and ecological transition, digital transformation and sustainability?
“Sustainability has always been part of our production model. We work with steel, a high-quality material characterized by an extremely high recycling rate. Recently, we replaced the roofs of our production facilities with high-performance insulated roofing and installed a photovoltaic system to improve energy sustainability. On the digital front, our entire corporate IT infrastructure has been cloud-based since before the lockdown. After all, we were on the web even before Google was founded! Our second production facility, opened in 2018, was developed within the framework of Industry 4.0, with interconnected systems and a production process with zero emissions into the environment. For us, industrial tradition, innovation and sustainability are all part of a single path of development.”
INNOVATION
What recent product or process innovation, or innovative communication project, would you like to highlight in terms of the market advantages it has generated?
“Innovation is a defining feature of our company, as demonstrated by the numerous patents we have filed over the years, from the winch-operated shutter motor to self-supporting gratings and other solutions. More recently, we introduced a counterweight-free up-and-over garage door called ‘Salvaspecchietti’. This feature makes it particularly suitable for the replacement market and for upgrading residential closures to meet current regulations. For the construction sector, we have also innovated solid construction site fencing with the introduction of ‘Blind’, certified for wind-load resistance. It provides greater safety for both the construction site and the surrounding area. Today, it is widely used and has been installed, for example, at construction sites in CityLife, Porta Nuova and for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.”
NEW SKILLS
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to SMEs with a Historic Trademark seeking to bring new skills into their company and integrate them effectively with the family’s younger generations?
“My classical education leads me to reflect on a principle that is as ancient as it is modern: ‘know thyself’. The same applies to a company. Understanding its history and the human, economic and technical choices that have shaped its journey means understanding which values should continue to guide its entrepreneurial future. In our case, professionalism and reliability have characterized Officine Locati for more than a century. Valuing our heritage does not mean looking backwards, or ‘preserving the ashes’, but rather creating a solid foundation on which to build new skills, develop our internal talent and involve the fourth generation of the family in the business. A strong corporate identity also helps attract new talent. A company’s reliability is a competitive advantage in the market for skills and expertise as well.”