Sirca at BIFE SIM 2016 - A well-argued success

Our discussion at the BIFE SIM fair with Ugo Pelosin - Export Director Sirca S.p.a. Italy - was both pleasant and interesting. The way in which Ugo presented Sirca and how it relates to the Italian market and the world of Italian design prompted us to do this interview which I invite you to watch.

WoodIndustry.News: Hi, Ugo! Welcome to Romania. It's a pleasure to see you again.

Ugo Pelosin: Hi, Mihaela! It's a pleasure for me too.

RdL: I want to talk a bit about Sirca because I can say that I rediscovered Sirca this year. I wrote these days about that wonderful event - Chromatography - which is no ordinary event for an industrial lacquer manufacturer. How did this idea come about?

We had to find a way to unite the world of paints and architects

UP: The idea of Cromateria was born a long time ago. Sirca is a company born in the north of Italy and has always developed products for the leading designer furniture manufacturers on the Italian market. I don't want to elaborate now on the Italian market and the importance of design in this market.

RdL: It is a market that is a world leader in its field.

UP: It's an important market. We realized that the range of products sold, both in Italy and abroad, is too narrow. So we tried to go deeper. We realized that furniture production in Italy is much more linked to the world of architects, which in other countries is not the case. And we asked ourselves why. Why is there so much more attention to wood design and finishing in Italy and not in other countries? All this led us to analyze the market and to attract some architects around our firm. Talking to them, we realized that architects often don't know, don't understand what varnish manufacturers are developing as products or what they are thinking. We had to find a way to unite these 2 worlds. We started to involve furniture manufacturers to present our products at the Milan Furniture Fair and that's where the idea came from to create an event with the participation of a famous architect like Trazzi and to take our ideas and bring them inside a space like the Diocesan Museum, an incredible historical museum. The museum is not in the Fuorisalonebut it's nearby. It was not a typical space for Fuorisalone events, but for our idea, for our project, it was a good fit. Obviously the staff and the management of the Museo Diocesano were then enthusiastic about the project and Trazzi, with his genius, managed to create this important event.

RdL: It was an image coup. Wonderful event, I can say.

UP: Our primary objective has been to bring the world of architects into our little dream, Cromateria. A series of events linked to Cromateria were created and continue to this day. So our focus today is on this kind of communication, because we believe that communication with architects, who are the heart of Italian design, is fundamental. And there are international associations of architects who are interested in the event.

RdL: I understand the event continues.

UP: Sure. What's more, it's not only linked to the Salone di Mobilea, but it's a series of events all over Italy that focus on bringing together the Sirca R&D sector, Italian design and the Italian furniture manufacturer, the ideal marriage if we can say so, which until a while ago seemed very far away.

Sirca Academy, a training venue dedicated to partners in Italy and worldwide

RdL: Talking about the events, the wonderful things that Sirca does, I discovered something else that I really liked. And so back to the factory. What is the Sirca Academy?

UP: Nice question. The concepts of Cromateria and Academia Sirca are not far apart. The Sirca Academy is a series of meetings inside the company, where trainings dedicated to our partners, worldwide and in Italy, take place. Here again, our concept was to take Sirca's research outside the factory and at the same time bring partners from home and abroad inside the R&D team. We had to bring these 2 structures together. We created a series of meetings in the company, separate meetings by product family, where the research team meets the market. This is a very important meeting because the team of researchers can communicate new trends to the market and at the same time our partners can explain to the researchers what their requirements are, even their dreams, which we consider very important. That's why we call it the Academy - because it takes us into the academic world, which is of great interest to us.

BIFE is much more professional and the audience is much more interesting for exhibitors.

RdL: It's a very interesting idea. And I think we need to link the 2 worlds. And since we're back to industry, what do you think of this year's BIFE?

UP: The impression of this year's BIFE is positive. There are more exhibitors, and the public visiting BIFE is more and more professional and interested in this world. In the past, the fair was more open to the general public, and the people who came were more out of curiosity, to see the world of furniture, what it represents and who is in this world. Now the BIFE fair is much more professional and the visiting public is a much more interesting audience for the exhibitors.

RdL: An interesting point of view. It seemed to me that there are few visitors but if they are interested it is a step forward.

UP: Let's say that the quality/quantity ratio is obvious at a fair like BIFE.

We are proud to bring to the market a catalyzed renewable product that brings tangible benefits even in terms of VOCs - at least 50% reduction

RdL: I like this point of view. Did Sirca come up with anything new at this fair?

UP: We have thought, together with our Romanian colleagues, to bring state-of-the-art water-based products, outdoor products, indoor products, quite recently developed, and metal products.

RdL: For metal, very interesting.

UP: Yes, and here we want to unite the world of architects, the architect's fantasy in terms of design, with the world of paints for metal, which was a rather closed, stagnant world. We also have special effects for metal.

RdL: We can link the two worlds of wood and metal.

UPYou can see it in furniture production in Italy and around the world, where these two worlds are increasingly coming together.

RdLWhat are the future projects for Sirca?

UP: Sirca, which is becoming increasingly globalized, is increasingly facing problems with product certification. We are talking about VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Until a few years ago, there were a number of certifications around the world to which manufacturers had to adhere. Now all these certifications are increasingly moving towards "common certification". Our focus is on developing products that meet these requirements internationally. At the Chromateria event we presented a product, both mono and bi-component, made with renewable raw materials. We are even proud to be the first to be able to propose to the market a catalyzed product made from renewable sources which, compared to a similar product from standard production, brings concrete advantages even in terms of VOC - at least 50% reduction - and this is an important point. The catalyst also comes from renewable sources. The company's focus is on these trends, which are now no longer just trends but market requirements. Water-based products, products with low environmental impact, products from renewable sources and therefore research and development. The company's investments are directed towards these new requirements.

RdL: It's interesting, because Sirca is not a new company, it's a known and recognized company, but it thinks like a young company, it looks a lot to the future.

UP: The heart of the firm, the management of the firm, is young and very sensitive to these kinds of arguments.

RdL: I think this means a lot to customers.

UPLet's say, all our international clients are attracted to the idea and at the same time have a direct line of communication with the company and the R&D team. Let's say this is one of the advantages of our firm.

Even though it has grown a lot in recent years, Sirca has maintained its production elasticity

RdL: To conclude, what are the 3 most important things to say about Sirca?

UP: Two things are related to the history of the company and one to the normal evolution of the company. The first 2 things are:

• The company is known on the Italian market for having always had products related to the world of design. We have always supplied products to important companies in the Italian furniture and design world.
• is renowned for the consistent quality of its products over time and this is a very important added value.

The third thing is that, despite having grown a lot in recent years, it has kept its resilience at the production level, which the market has recognized. Today we are constantly faced with a constantly evolving market that needs simple answers, products that can be developed quickly. And this is only possible if you have a fast structure to respond to market needs. We have managed to keep this elasticity and I hope the market will recognize this. In fact, I am sure.

RdLThank you, Ugo. It was a great pleasure meeting you and getting to know Sirca again, which, although I've known her for a long time, seems new to me. For me it is a very nice surprise.

UP: And for me it's a great pleasure to see that a company like ours, which started in the 70s, can bring a totally new image.

RdL: Thanks again.

UP: Thank you.