51
EQUIPMENT
CONSTRUCTION EUROPE
OCTOBER 2013
Birthday investments
Cifa has marked its 85
th
birthday
and the fifth anniversary of its
acquisition by Zoomlion with the
opening of new facilities in Italy.
Chris Sleight
was there
the investment that has gone
into the company’s headquarters
in Senago, near Milan, Italy,
following the deal.
He said, “Today, we officially
show and open the Senago
headquarters and production
building renovations, the new
Cifa-Zoomlion Testing European
Centre (TEC) – an R&D centre and
field test area for the group, the
start-up of new production lines
with lean production technology,
the new Cifa design centre, new
products and technologies, and
the opening of a new showroom
and multimedia area.”
All this investment will
have a benefit to customers
according to sales director for
Europe, Middle East & North
Africa, Daniel Metivier, who
highlighted the introduction of
lean processes throughout the
organisation.
“We will be able to fulfil orders
in a better time and the quality
will be more consistent. We
want to continue to innovate
but also achieve and maintain
the quality you would expect
from a German or Japanese
manufacturer,” he said.
Cifa’s history of innovation
includes, over the last few years,
the introduction of carbon fibre
boom sections on four of its
truck-mounted concrete pumps.
In an industry where steel is
used exclusively for load-bearing
components, this was a radical
departure. It is also interesting to
note that Cifa manufactures its
own carbon fibre components,
rather than outsourcing the
work.
“We think we have reached
the limit with steel. There are
other composite materials we
are looking at – not just carbon
fibre,” said Cipolla.
The use of carbon fibre reduces
the gross vehicle weight, which
is an important consideration
in developed countries where
there are strict limits on truck
weights and axle loads.
Metivier said, “We always have
the longest boom that can be
fitted on any given truck chassis.
We also have weight to spare for
additional accessories.”
The Carbotech range
comprises four models with
39m, 45m, 62m and 80m booms,
mounted on three-, four-,
five- and seven-axle chassis,
respectively. Of the 80m reach
K80H, Metivier said, “That is
the longest boom available in
Europe.”
Parent company Zoomlion
has also reaped the benefits
of the use of carbon fibre. In
November last year, it used this
technology to build the world’s
first 100m-plus concrete placing
boom, with engineers from both
Cifa and Zoomlion working on
the project.
GLOBALISATION
And according to Cipolla,
Zoomlion’s investment in Cifa is
continuing to play a part in the
globalisation of both companies,
with a strategy to offer both
brands with different levels of
technology on-board around
the world. It is one part of the
company’s aim to fine-tune
machines to different customer
preferences.
“It is impossible to serve the
world from one plant. There are
local requirements and machines
can be expensive to transport.
You must have a local presence,
not only with production, but
also R&D,” said Cipolla.
He concluded by saying, “The
concrete sector is very strange,
with high peaks and deep lows.
We invest during the down times
to be ready when the market
comes back.”
ce
C
oncrete equipment
manufacturer Cifa has
had a colourful history,
having been founded in 1928 by
Carlo Ausenda, and it has seen
several changes of ownership.
The most bizarrely of these was
when it was bought by a group
of its own suppliers in 1999.
The most recent chapter saw
its acquisition by a group of
investors led by Zoomlion, one
of China’s largest equipment
makers, in September 2008.
It was the first major overseas
acquisition by a Chinese
manufacturer in the construction
equipment industry, although
others have followed since.
Speaking at the celebrations
to mark Cifa’s dual birthday – 85
years since it was founded and
five years since the Zoomlion
acquisition – Cifa CEO Davide
Cipolla was keen to emphasise
Zoomlion chairman Zhan Chunxin and Cifa CEO Davide Cipolla cut the
ribbon on Cifa’s renovated headquarters complex in Senago
A Cifa K45H Carbotech truck-
mounted pump. The carbon fibre
boom sections are differentiated
by their silver colour
