Technology and high-level social networking

Last week I took part in a great event where technology and socializing came together in a way I never thought possible. It was Cefla Live, a "home-grown" event of the division Cefla Finishing at Cefla, a cutting-edge event focused on wood staining with Cefla professionals and industry partners in attendance simultaneously. Although it was all about finishing lines, future technology, robots and other such topics, I set out to tell you now less about them and more about how well the event was organized and the opportunities for socializing and exchanging impressions that the organizers created, making an eminently technical event a very enjoyable one.

I'm going to do a very small introduction of the hosts so that you can understand where we have been. Even if Cefla is not a household name to some, I can tell you that you have met them many times. One of its divisions produces the cash registers you see every day at Carrefour. But it's not for cash registers or dental chairs (another Cefla division) that we came to Italy. But for the Cefla Finishing division which is the largest manufacturer of finishing equipment and lines for wood and plastic. Because finishing equipment is not easy to choose, every year Cefla organizes a large-scale 3-day event to which it invites all its collaborators, partners, customers and potential customers to see live tests of all finishing technologies, to test new finishing products, to confirm the proposed solutions through industrial tests.

Cefla's headquarters are in Imola, near Bologna, home to a very famous Formula 1 circuit and the Ferrari team. So when we entered the lab we were greeted by a Ferrari and a BMW. Of course, they were the main attraction and you'd hardly find a man who hadn't circled them at least once. 🙂

More than 1000 guests attended the event over the 3 days. It was a continuous back-and-forth, with delegates and delegates of 50 people each for whom presentations were made, each listening to the translation in the headset they received at the entrance.

Because the whole day was spent in that place, the organizers set up a huge tent in the continuation of the lab, with round tables for 10 people. There you could rest, you could have a cup of coffee, you could chat with your partners, your clients, you could socialize with other people. Everything happened over a glass of wine or craft beer (very good, by the way), so things became simpler, friendlier.

There is a lot to say about this event and all good things. The coordination was perfect, everything was under control and yet not for a second did I feel the hosts were tense or tired. They answered you with kindness, guided you, helped you, gave you all the support. An event that I enjoyed very much and which I consider an example of organization.

I'll let you follow a quick overview of the equipment that could be seen at work at Cefla Live and then tell you more about them. And don't think they're only interesting for big factories. We also found spray robots here that can apply material and only on a single part, something on the order of a few hundred grams of varnish and primer, with very little waste. So there are tech solutions also for those with small factories or larger workshops. What you need to remember is that the lab at Cefla is open all the time, no need to wait a year to see the machines. With the help of our representative in Romania, Finex Pro, an appointment can be made and you can always go and see the machines at work.

But that's it, I'll stop and let you see the movie. I'll be back soon with the technical details.