Ugo Giannelli, Ocem CEO, talks about the year that has just ended and outlines OCEM’s development prospects. He does so in an in-depth but informal chat on a December morning during a walk that takes him from the company’s headquarters to the heart of Florence, the city that has always hosted his company. The market and its variations, the most evident phenomena and those to be foreseen, the maturation and growth of a field that has seen OCEM, for decades now, play a leading role on the world scene. With challenges to be won and new goals to be set to continue on a journey that takes Italian know-how to all five continents of the globe.
Engineer, how would you comment on 2023 from a market point of view?
It was an important year for OCEM, which finally saw its turnover, which had remained almost stable after COVID, return to growth. The year 2023 was the best result in seven years, an achievement of which we are undoubtedly proud.
What aspects characterised the year that has just ended?
There have been many changes in our world, which I summarise in two fundamental phenomena for me: the collapse of resin-based products due to the well-known health issues, and the saturation of the market for ceramic products. These factors, combined with others, have given a new lease of life to cement and related products including tiles and slabs that are produced with our own plants.
If you were to make a geographical assessment instead, which areas show the most vitality?
Definitely Europe and the Middle East, but also Australia and Asia in general. However, there is a general ferment worldwide.
From a product point of view, however, what have you noticed: what are the most frequent requests and how has demand changed, if at all?
On the other hand, from a product point of view, what have you noticed: what are the most frequent requests and how has the demand changed, if at all? Without forgetting the standard productions, the trends are undoubtedly Big Sizes, single-layer tiles and then shotblasting, brushing, coating for both tiles and pavers.
How has OCEM moved in the last twelve months? What development dynamics have been undertaken and what results have they brought?
We have strengthened our technical structure and consolidated our plant engineering vocation. OCEM has definitively abandoned the role of simple manufacturer of presses to increasingly assume the leadership in the study, realisation and installation of complete turnkey systems, customised and dedicated to the growing technical needs of our worldwide customer base.
Speaking of the future, how do you see 2024 and the market in the near future?
With a lot of optimism. To date we already have orders for about 6 million Euro, diversified by geographic area and product.
How does OCEM prepare for such scenarios?
Essentially with three activities: recruitment in key roles and departments, internal skills development and extension of the sales network. I can proudly say that every year we reduce the average age of our employees. This means that the company never stands still, it renews itself.
If you were to point us to three key phrases around which the company’s growth will be played out, what would they be?
First of all I would say: from the press to the complete customised plant. This means more commitment and know-how from our technical team and different demands from the market. Then I would say from the tile to the large slab, as a real change in demand and, related to that, from the tile to the VAP (Value added Products). Finally, the growth in demand for services, i.e. from product to design and especially after-sales service and technical assistance. It is no coincidence that we have been investing in this aspect for some time, so much so that OCEM customers now know that they can count on continuous commercial and technical assistance.
