CONTACT: 
OPEN HOUSE 2023: PROGALVANO INVITES CUSTOMERS AND SHAREHOLDERS TO ITS NEW HEADQUARTER
An European Hidden Champion
On May 5th, 2023, Progalvano invited customers and partners to its Open House on the occasion of the opening of the new main headquarter with connected production in an industrial park on the outskirts of Milan. Festivities and a tour of the production facility were on the agenda.
The visit of the new Progalvano production plant at Open House 2023
The brand-new, elongated business building of Progalvano presents itself in a flawless brick red. Freshly laid tables and chairs stand under numerous pavilions, and in the background caterers prepare a buffet with regional specialties: In front of the entrance door, the European, Italian and Korean flags flutter on flagpoles. The guests list includes many Italian and foreign suppliers and customers.
Before the rush for the delicacies, the program first includes a tour of the production facilities. 5.100 square meters covers the new company headquarters with production. Francesca Cuzzolin, Sales & Marketing Manager, is in her element here. In the sales office, she stops in front of a large world map showing the markets in which the company operates. She explains the commitment to locally rooted production with global aspirations with the well-known slogan “Think locally, act globally“.
In addition, Francesca announces and praises the work of the sales department with Alessandra Pieragostini for the DACH region and Chiara Brambilla, who speaks Chinese, for China and the Far East. After all, the small sales team, which also includes export manager Luka Premru, speaks seven languages.
The new Progalvano plant has highly automated production
A global player with 35 employees, is that even possible? Part of the answer becomes apparent when looking over the shoulders of the two product designers, who simulate barrels and write CNC production programs on double screens. Customizing is what Matteo Cuzzolin calls this important production step, in which the barrels are virtually adapted, for example, for the production of screws for eyeglass frames or special applications in the aerospace sector.
The second part of the answer is found when walking along the production line, which leads from the warehouse in several production steps to assembly and is lined with racks of building materials. CNC programming is automatically put into practice at the numerous CNC milling machines in the hall. They bring plastic discs made of polypropylene into shape. Elsewhere, automated equipment is used for welding, laser cutting or plastic injection molding to cast plastic granules into plastic components. A total of 33 steps are required to produce the finished product, including product markings on the barrels for tracking purposes. It is a highly automated networked production process that is hidden behind the walls of the plant on Viale Lombardia
Real-time control possible: PM System
In front of a row of barrels almost as high as a man, Matteo begins his speech.
3.000 barrels were produced last year. He emphasizes the quality management and the precision of the barrels, then it goes on to the assembly, where the individual parts are still largely assembled by hand at workbenches to form the finished product. In the individual segments of the barrels, the contacts for the power supply can be seen while workers tighten screws.
The experts at Progalvano have also thought about the data requirements for the digitization of electroplating plants. At the center of the assembly area is a special barrel line. It is equipped with automation that allows “real-time control” of the plating process. “You know every moment what is happening in the barrel”, explains Matteo. The power input is always in view: Indicated are, for example, how many amps are used for plating or even heating.
The final speech at Open House 2023: looking to the future
“We want to celebrate the efforts of the company and the work in the new headquarter with expanded production, realized with smart investments” and despite mixed economic-political omens in the face of crises and wars, Progalvano will be putting positive thinking in the foreground.
Progalvano is looking ahead to the future – and with its high degree of automation, networking and production flexibility, and not least its regional ties, it is obviously well positioned to do so.
Do you want to stay up to date with company news? Follow our blog and social channels
