Interview with Lorenzo Beretta – Commercial Director of Giobbe S.r.l.
By: Behnam Ghasemi – Kohan Textile Journal
About FERBER Textile Solutions, history and success story.
FERBER is a historical family business founded in 1840 and conducted without interruption by the direct descendants of the founder (a blacksmith and farrier). Located in Missaglia, (province of Lecco), in the North of Italy.
Our position (20 km from Milan and Lecco, 30 km from Bergamo) allows us to collaborate with different realities of the district (carpentry, laser cutting, galvanizing, painting, etc.) and reach a multiplicity of specific suppliers for our production. This allows us to maintain an agile, specialized and efficient business structure.
We have directed our mission towards the textile world with the design, manufacture and sale of plants, AGV trolleys, customized machines with particular success in the subsector of technical textile.
In addition to the textile world we have designed and built: handling and traction systems for the agricultural, airport and hospital sectors; logistics, winding, lifting and transport systems for paper, packaging, medical fabric, fibreglass, carbon fiber and metal wire conveyor.
In the last period, we have designed autonomously conducted means for environmental sanitization through ozone generators and UVC germicidal lamps.
Always attentive to Research & Development we have developed over the years the electronic sphere and the software component to reach maximum levels of Safety and Security.
Through the direct relationship with the customer or through non-exclusive agents we are able to distribute our products all over the world.
Another strength of ours is customer loyalty. During the design, the customer is able to define the characteristics most adapted to his needs and needs. In the after-sales phase, the buyer is followed and directed for assembly or commissioning, with the definition of scheduled maintenance, through the assistance for spare parts.
2. Which kind of services and machinery you are offering to the textile industry?
Our mission is to help every textile reality to grow, develop, expand, progress. All of our products are customized to the client’s needs, tailored. We focus on safety, security, quality, technology, innovation.
Ferber manufactures mainly three products:
1)Trucks (from the simplest and manuals trolleys to the most sophisticated quick style change trucks) to transport and insert warp beams on looms and knitting machines, trucks to transport big fabric rolls, tractors to the trail.
2)Winders (Global winding solutions for textiles, paper, plastic film rolls, Glass, carbon, automotive, aeronautics, special technical fabrics, magnesium alumina silicate)
3)Stockers (automatic carousel warehouse to organize space of textile warp beams,
fabric rolls, Rolls of papers, Rolls of plastic films, Metal coils)
3. How do you evaluate textile machinery manufacturer industry in Italy in the pandemic period?
Only one word can describe it: disaster.
Here in the Northern Part of Italy We all lost some friends. This goes beyond economical financial matters.
Talking only about the industry: before Covid, the majority of our textiles were in the struggle, there are regions that lived for that for decades and generations: now are deserts. Many textiles flossed during the lockdown and never re-opened.
I am a very positive person, and I am sure that Italian passion, creativity, the commitment will make textile rise again. I also hope that Italian politics may build a long-term project, based on education, work, equality, for the good of the country.
4. As a textile machinery manufacturer, how do you evaluate the textile industry in Turkey, Middle East and Africa Region? Do you have export to this region?
I strongly believe that textile industry in Turkey, Middle East and Africa is the future. Is amazing how is rising.
We export in all world through agents or direct selling, but we are always looking for new opportunities, not to get rich or make money, but because I am amazed to see a project take life and grow.
Often in these rising regions is preferred to focus on price instead than quality. Our customers tells us that we cost a lot, but then try our products and understand that the investment worth it in the long period.
Quality, Safety, Autodiagnosis, Technology will make save money and develop excellent products.
5. COVID 19 shows us we should rely more on sustainability and green products, how we can improve sustainability in the textile machinery industry?
I talk for ourselves. We invest more than our 50% earnings in R&D. All of our trucks are electronics.
I chose as an electrical supplier the number one producer of wind power.
For all of our hydraulics functions, we use an ultimately biodegradable hydraulic oil Specially formulated to offer the lowest toxicity, also in aquatic conditions.
Our trucks we developed a Maintenance-free electric motor, this means high performance, low energy consumption, less maintenance, long life. Sustainability is the future. We have to meet our present needs with one of our daughters and sons.
