An excellent sales network, with local representation everywhere in the world, and a universally renowned high quality, the result of careful work built over the years and has yielded the desired results. These are the strong points of the Schiavoni Group, with their main office located at Ancona in the Marche. The company was founded by Sergio Schiavoni, who has been active in the electric engineering sector since the 60s. Over time the company has been enriched with various additions which, starting from the core business of the leader company, make it a reference point in the sector of industrial electric engineering.

Even today, after more than 50 years, Sergio Schiavoni is still the point of reference of the complex corporate system which already finds however, in the second and third generation, family members to continue his work: his children Camilla and Giampiero are in fact heading the commercial sector. Claudio, his other son, has a leading role in the branch of industrial business and of renewable energies, while his nephew Francesco has recently joined the company.

We asked the president, Sergio Schiavoni, which are the preferred foreign markets, those he has more often compared his company with, and what are the company’s future growth prospects.

Mr Schiavoni, which are the most important foreign markets for your company?

“The Gulf countries that invest in oil refineries of course. We have however carried out recently a very important project in Algeria, where works have just started for the construction of an innovative photovoltaic power system which the Schiavone Group has designed to serve the gas pipeline Saipem of the Eni Group. The idea of resorting to the sun has made the transmission of electric power in the desert possible, where the installation of electric cables would have been very expensive. In Europe we are considering Germany and we are very interested in the Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish markets. In northern Europe, particularly, there are work vessels that require a lot of energy and power and we are being considered highly reliable providers.”

What, in your opinion, distinguishes you from the other international competitors?

“Those that we consider as our competitors, for example the German company Siemens and the French one Schneider, do not provide the same products that we do. We are more specialised, faster in deliveries and more competitive. We are seen as highly reliable both in the work vessels sector as well as in the cruise ships sector”.

What are you expecting for 2011?

“Looking at the number of offers we have recently received it seems that 2011 is starting well. We have commissions up to 2012, however internal demand is languishing. Ship design benefits from the orders of the main contractors which assure commissions for at least three years. It is, on the whole, a favourable picture which should bring us to a growth of 5 to 10% of proceeds, around 115 million in 2010 and an export of 60%.”