EQUIPMENT
56
Cifa
international
construction
october 2013
Cifa has marked its
85
th
birthday and the
fifth anniversary of its
acquisition by Zoomlion
with the opening
of new facilities at
its headquarters in
Senago, Italy.
Chris Sleight
reports.
C
oncrete equipment
manufacturer Cifa has had a
colourful history. Founded
in 1928 by Carlo Ausenda, it
has endured several changes
of ownership, including, most
bizarrely, being acquired 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 the investment
that has gone into the company’s
headquarters in Senago, near
Milan, Italy, following the deal.
“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.
Carbon fibre
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 has been 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 Mr
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. Mr 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 39 m, 45, m, 62
m & 80 m booms, mounted on
three-, four- five and seven-axle
chassis, respectively. Of the 80 m
reach K80H, Mr 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 100 m+ concrete
placing boom, with engineers from
both Cifa and Zoomlion working
on the project.
And according to Mr 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 Mr 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.”
iC
Birthday investments
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.
