Among the winning characteristics of Vinati, which specialises in the production of cranes and lifting systems, is the propensity for research and development, an area in which the company invests 30% of its turnover, with 13 employees dedicated exclusively to this industry.
Vinati president Felice Vinati, who manages the company with his children Samuele, Matteo, Maria Chiara and Giacomo, says: "It is from our focus on innovation – the only way to stand out in times of crisis – that we created Acubo, an exclusive world patent that we started to develop, together with the Politecnico di Milano, staring in 2008.
"Applying Acubo to the rope anchorage, the crane’s hook is turned into a proper joystick, whose job it is to stabilise the load. It is a safety system that stops oscillating movements in the load.
"The idea came to us by simply observing the accelerometer on a smartphone."
In short, Acubo is a device based on a triaxial computer accelerometer, which is capable of detecting any movement in the lifting systems both in the rope or chain and relative inclination, as well as the carriage or gantry.
It can be installed on their pre-existing machines or on those of another brand. Advanced innovation is that stepping stone towards the future. But, behind them, Vinati has a long history that has contributed to setting down the solid bases of the company, whose entrepreneurial history began in 1958 with Antonio Vinati, the founder.
After having worked for a few years in the light structural work industry, the entrepreneur decided to make the jump and specialise in the design and production of overhead travelling cranes, gantry cranes, jibs and special cranes. Over the years the second generation enthusiastically contributed to the development of the company, investing in a new factory with high-tech equipment.
Cranes Integrated Management Services
The continued customer support allowed the company from Nave, Brescia, Italy, to learn and develop knowledge on anything involving cranes, like specialised and / or automated systems, made to measure under-hook lifting devices and support structures.
"Today, with 32 employees and an average of €5m, we are keeping a constant working rhythm, even in this economic downturn. Even though we are working in a saturated market, I believe it is essential to see the crisis as an opportunity to help develop new ideas," Felice Vinati adds.
"The company is deeply rooted in this area, but we work with many exporters. Of particular relevance is our complete technical assistance."
Samuele and Matteo Vinati say: "Our after-sales service is capable of quickly offering spare parts and sending specialised technicians to fully repair the equipment in the least amount of time possible.
"With the help of our company fleet, which includes trucks, vans and hydraulic cranes, we can cover a large range of repairs. Our customer service covers the province of Brescia and the surrounding area."
What is fundamental, they add, is the Cranes Integrated Management Services (Cims), a patented system for integrated management services for cranes in general. Cims is a cloud application, meaning it has dedicated servers online, made to store all the data related to the systems installed and / or maintained by Vinati.
"Through this system we can detect and catalogue the data from the lifting system in every component so as to increase the safety, manage maintenance in a clear and simple way for the client as well as increase the efficiency in maintenance schedules, especially when there are multiple systems," Samuele and Matteo add.
The information gathered is made available directly online without the need to install programmes on a computer, which means they can be accessed anywhere in the world from any internet point.
There is no challenge Vinati will turn down. "Often we find a client with specific needs and invent completely new applications and alternative solutions. We are proud to outclass many foreign companies with our patents," Vinati adds.
Generational continuity and team spirit are factors that have greatly helped company growth. "All of us are aiming for customer satisfaction," the Vinati family agrees.
"For this reason we offer our clients continuing support and consultancy from the very beginning, to planning the maintenance schedule throughout the years. Guaranteed by over fifty years of experience".
This content originally appeared in Platinum business magazine.