Cifarelli: certified quality for international markets

Raffaele Cifarelli formed his company in Voghera in 1967 and became a vital part of the district's industrial fabric by specializing in research and innovation. The manufacturer's strong points are their technologies and what is described as "the total cost of ownership"

With sales of more than 12 million euro in 2013, 95% of which accounted for by sales abroad, Cifarelli in Voghera has become one of the most solid manufacturers in this industrial district with production of backpack sprayers for plant protection and other equipment for agriculture and gardening. Mondo Macchina/Machinery World talked to Renato Cifarelli, the managing director of the company in the Province of Pavia, to learn of the background of the enterprise established in the second half of the 1960s.

 

Cifarelli has achieved success by finding the right balance between family and managerial management....

 

The company was established by my father, Raffaele Cifarelli, in 1967 after substantial professional experience as a designer for a company making marine diesel engines when he decided to open his own business on a craftsman scale. His intuition turned out to be a winner and within a few years the number of workers had to be added to. In this way Raffaele's brother, Gianfranco, and then his sons became part of the team. In fact, we are a family company but with managerial management. Positions and jobs are assigned on the basis of individual skills, in relation to what a person knows how to do. And this has been the way of building an enterprise which allowed us to come through some difficult times. 

 

Times which sometimes required courageous choices....

When we became aware that some models were not received with the consensus we were hoping for we stopped their production. This was the case for brush cutters, with results which turned out to be inadequate as regards market potential, and tractor mounted sprayers which were not suitable for our technological and production standards. More in general, at the level of company strategy, our winning card was the bet on specialization, updating and improving the profile of the most appreciated equipment.

 

Right now what are the market sectors led by Cifarelli?

We have four families of backpack products: sprayers, mistblowers, vacuums for harvesting and shakers. For the first three we have just renewed the range with the 1200 series, innovative from the point of view of the ergonomics as well as for the sites for use. In the sprayer segment, where we are present with professional machines designed for a combination of power and autonomy, the new model, the M1200, a New Techniques winner at the EIMA International 2012, has been has been in use as much for comfort as for performance. Among other points, this is a modular application on which accessories can be quickly installed even immediately after purchase. In the sector of blowers, on the other hand, we offer high performance equipment, powerful and reliable. We can even claim for our range the most silent blowers ever produced.

 

And do you have a position of leadership for your shakers?

The key to our success has been in establishing new construction standards for achieving the best compromise between vibrations handled by the operator and the results of the harvest. We now have two models in our catalogue. One is professional and one is light and not as high a performer but we have been able to close the gap between the two. We also produce vacuums for the collective of shell fruit for backpack or carriage use which are small niche where we are among the small number of companies making them, if not the only one.

 

International competition in the agricultural mechanization sector is increasingly fierce. What is Cifarelli's recipe for competing?

Research, innovation and quality. These are the value added to our machines. We are so certain of the performance of our equipment that we habitually apply for Enama (Italian National Agricultural Mechanization Agency) certification voluntarily. On the other hand, the imprimatur of an outside agency strengthens confidence in Cifarelli products. More in general, experts in the field know that the total cost of ownership of our machines (the cost calculated over the lifespan the machine) is excellent because, compared to the competition, especially Chinese, they live longer and with reduced maintenance. And also for this reason we have a high degree of customer loyalty.