Sirca at BIFE SIM 2016 - A well-argued success

The discussion I had at the BIFE SIM fair with Ugo Pelosin - Sirca S.p.a. Italy's export manager - was pleasant and interesting in equal measure. The way Ugo presented Sirca and how it relates to the Italian market and the world of Italian design led us to do this interview which I invite you to watch.

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

Ugo PelosinHi, Mihaela! It's a pleasure for me too.

RdL: I want to talk a little bit about Sirca because I can say that I rediscovered Sirca this year. I wrote the other day about that wonderful event - Chromatography - which is not a common event for an industrial lacquer manufacturer. How did this idea come about?

We had to find a way to unite the world of paints with the world of 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 main 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's a market that is the world leader in the field.

UP: It is an important market. We realised that the range of products sold, both in Italy and abroad, is far too narrow. And we tried to go deeper. We realised that furniture production in Italy is much more linked to the world of architects, which is not the case in other countries. And we asked ourselves "why?". Why is there much more attention to wood design and finishing in Italy and not in other countries? All this led us to do market analysis and to attract some architects around our company. Talking to them we realised 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 bring these 2 worlds together. We started to involve furniture manufacturers to showcase our products at the Milan Furniture Fair, and that's where the idea came from to create an event with the participation of a renowned architect like Trazzi and to take our ideas and bring them inside a space like the Museo Diocesano, an incredible historical museum. The museum is not in the space 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 management of the Diocesan Museum were then enthusiastic about this 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 was to bring the world of architects into our little dream, Chromateria. A series of Cromateria-related events were created and continue to this day. So our focus today is on this type 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 that the event continues.

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

Sirca Academy, a place for training dedicated to partners in Italy and around the world

RdL: Talking about events, about wonderful things Sirca did, 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 Sirca Academy are not far apart. The Sirca Academy is a series of meetings inside the company, where dedicated trainings take place for our partners, worldwide and in Italy. And here again our concept was to take Sirca research outside the factory and at the same time bring partners from home and abroad into 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 research team can tell the market about new trends 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 world of academia, which we are very interested in.

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 two worlds. And since we're back in the industry, how do you like this year's BIFE?

UP: This year's BIFE impression is positive. More exhibitors, and the audience 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 people who came were more curious to see the world of furniture, what it stands for 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. I thought there were few visitors but if they are interested it is a step forward.

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

We are proud to offer to the market a catalyst product from renewable sources that brings concrete benefits even in terms of VOC - at least 50% reduction

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

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

RdL: For metal, very interesting.

UP: Yes, and here we want to unite the world of architects, the fantasy of the architect in terms of design, with the world of metal paints, 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.

UP: It can be seen in the production of furniture in Italy and in the world where, more and more, these two worlds are coming together.

RdLWhat are the future projects for Sirca?

UP: Sirca, which is becoming increasingly globalised, is increasingly facing problems with product certification. We're talking about VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Until a few years ago, there were several certifications in the world that manufacturers should have adhered to. 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 from renewable raw materials. We are even proud to be the first to be able to propose to the market a catalyst 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. And the catalyst is also made 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: Interesting, because Sirca is not a new company, it is a known and recognized company, but it thinks like a young company, it looks a lot to the future.

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

RdL: This I think means a lot to customers.

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

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

RdL: To conclude, what are the 3 most important things that can be said about Sirca?

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

• The company is known on the Italian market for always having products related to the world of design. We have always supplied products to important companies in the Italian furniture and design world.
• is a company 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 production elasticity, which the market recognises. Today, we are constantly faced with an evolving market that needs simple answers and products that can be developed quickly. And this is only possible if you have a rapid structure to respond to market needs. We have managed to maintain this resilience and I hope the market recognises this. In fact, I'm sure it will.

RdL: Thank you, Ugo. It was a great pleasure to meet you and to get to know Sirca again, which, although I have known her for a long time, seems new to me. For me it is a very nice surprise.

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

RdL: Thank you once again.

UPThank you.