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INDUSTRIAL FLOORING: SPECIALISATION IS THE KEY
Forty million square meters. This is the amount of flooring that is produced every year in Italy. Giorgio Carissimi, President of the trade association Conpaviper (www.conpaviper.it), explains: “within this industry, the most important sector from an economic point of view is the industrial flooring one”. Conpaviper represents the producers of continuous flooring, i.e. those that produce industrial flooring, concrete flooring for road surfaces or architectural purposes (pressed, washed or acid stained), airport flooring and resin flooring (for industrial, logistical or commercial purposes). There are about 150 affiliated firms, including specialized suppliers as well as manufacturers, representing 35% of the firms operating in the industry and contributing 50% to the overall turnover, estimated at around 1 billion euros. “Italian firms producing concrete or resin continuous flooring are part of the wider construction sector, but have an extremely high degree of specialisation”, adds Mr Carissimi. The typical firm in this sector has industrial flooring as its core business, but may undertake other building works. The opposite is rare: generally large construction firms do not look after floorings directly. “This – as Conpaviper’s President underlines – has contributed to growth of a specialised sector comprised of just over a thousand small firms, with individual turnovers that are often lower than 2 million euros”. Although they are present all over Italy, the largest players, with annual turnovers between 5 to 20 million euros, are located in four areas: Bergamo, Forlì, Modena-Reggio Emilia and Treviso. Italian firms, counting on their high level of specialisation from a qualitative point of view, have the potential to offer their products on the international markets, which at the moment only account for 5-10% of the industry’s overall revenues. If some of the obstacles can be overcome, there is a great growth potential abroad. “Their small size limits the capacity of many firms to operate successfully and with continuity abroad. However, internationalisation is a growing trend and in the next few years it could take off as a result of the consolidation that is taking place in the sector for certain specific applications”, says Mr Carissimi. One of the main selling points on the international scene could be innovation. “Industrial flooring is perhaps one of the fastest evolving sectors in the construction industry”, states Mr Carissimi. The increasing popularity of resin flooring is a case in point. It is still a relatively new market yet producers are developing ever more complete solutions to the needs of architects and other buyers, thus increasing its field of application through the development of new technologies. “Even in industrial flooring – concludes Conpaviper’s leader – the introduction of new techniques and products allows for the realization of technically advanced solutions, including with no floor joints”. The trade association of Italian producers is actively following these latest developments. Several working groups have been set up to analyse and regulate the use of new technologies in order to allow manufacturers to make the best use of them. Conpaviper is also promoting innovation through training. The recently launched “Prometeo” project aims to update producers on the latest resin systems.
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