Technology and high-level social networking

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

I will however make a very short introduction to the hosts so you can understand where I was. Even if Cefla is not a household name to some, I can tell you that you have met him many times. One of the 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 equipment and finishing lines for wood and plastic. Because finishing equipment is not easy to choose, every year Cefla organizes a large 3-day event to which it invites all collaborators, partners, customers and potential customers to see live tests of all finishing technologies, to test new finishing products, to confirm proposed solutions through industrial testing.

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

More than 1000 guests attended the event over the 3 days. It was a continuous back-and-forth, with delegations of 50 people and more being presented to, each listening to the translation in the headphones they received at the entrance.

Because the whole day was spent there, the organisers 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 coffee, you could chat with partners, with clients, you could socialise with other people. Everything happened over a glass of wine or craft beer (very good, by the way), so things became simpler, friendlier.

There's a lot to say about this event and all of it good. The coordination was perfect, everything was under control and yet I never felt for a second that the hosts were tense or tired. They responded kindly to you, guided you, helped you, gave you all the support. An event that I enjoyed attending and consider an example of organisation.

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 it. And don't think they're only interesting for big factories. We also found spraying robots here that can apply material and only on a single piece, something at a few hundred grams of varnish and primer, with losses being tiny. So there are also technology solutions for those with smaller 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 film. I'll be back soon with the technical details.