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Enabling an Intelligent and Green Planet Together |
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An Interview with Mr Massimo Tirapelle, Managing Director of Digimax, Italy
By Martin Marshall |
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 Building good relationships in challenging times is particularly important, as more and more businesses are looking to work with partners they can trust. Building relationships means building trust. And building trust is what Digimax and Advantech have been doing since 1996.
Founded in 1996 and based in Vicenza (NE. Italy), Digimax has quickly become one of the leading companies in Italy in the distribution of Industrial computing products. They currently employ 28 people including 12 regional sales. Digimax is a leading distributor of industrial computers and components in Italy. Their main market focus is in Power & Energy, Transportation, and Industrial Automation, where the company has earned a reputation based on quality and consistency of project delivery, and by providing the best design solutions and services to customers in Italy and Europe. Mr Massimo Tirapelle is Managing Director of the Digimax business and their ambition is to be the leading distributor in Italy for Industrial PC, ICOM & Networking products, and Industrial Power supplies. The relationship between Digimax and Advantech is long-standing, dating back to 1996. We talked with Mr. Tirapelle about their IPC business in Italy and Europe and the current trends and economic headwinds that affect their business.
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| Smart Solar Energy Project |
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Recently, Digimax and Advantech worked together on several solar energy projects. A system integrator customer specializing in the development of software for the Power & Energy markets was after control and monitoring systems for photovoltaic solar panels that were to be placed on the ground and on the roofs of residential, commercial and industrial buildings, mainly for Italian public companies. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material, so not only hardware panels and inverters were required but also software for control and monitoring needed to be developed. In the development phase, there was integration issues between Advantech hardware (ARK-1310L-00A1E Ultra Compact Fanless Embedded Computer) and the OS that the client had decided to use. The support and experience of Digimax and Advantech technicians rapidly provided the information and tools necessary for a rapid and complete solution, and other minor problems regarding communication protocols with devices in the field were also successfully and quickly resolved.
When asked about their co-working model with Advantech Mr. Tirapelle said, "Digimax, regardless of the project, always tries to be a technology partner for its customers in Italy. Our work begins with the identification and understanding of customer needs, the study and application of market analysis and the choice of the most suitable products. Of course, technical support during the test phase and problem solving are very important, ending with logistical support and, very importantly in Italy, finances. In every relationship we look to build trust, we look for the creation of a synergy that makes us both satisfied with the work done. This is why we've been working with Advantech for so many years, their massive product offering and depth of knowledge means we can always overcome any problems together. And, this close collaboration lays the foundation for the development of future projects built on trust."
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| Growth in Challenging Times |
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Economically, these are challenging times so a clear strategy for sustained growth is essential and Digimax decided to build a structure that allowed them to create new and lasting opportunities for growth. Earlier this year they introduced new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software that is just completing its test phase. This will allow them to improve their internal and external organization at all levels and have a simpler and more immediate access to the information necessary to perform the work of each. In addition a new web-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software was implemented to facilitate a more efficient and effective tool for the entire sales channels. This represents an important and decisive strengthening of the website specifically in the area of on-line sales (thanks to Aonline website from Advantech). With regards to the situation in Italy, they decided it was time for a reorganization of their distribution network. The territory they cover is relatively small and the number of distributors too high. So focusing on the most important partners would be less confusing to customers, create less infighting and improve their work, freeing up resources for new investment in growth. On top of all this, new personnel for internal and external sales will be hired and they are making a huge investment in the construction of new headquarters, where more efficient arrangements of the various departments will be much easier to organize, as well as greatly expanding the workshop and warehouse spaces.
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| Growing the Next Level of Opportunities |
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The purpose of all this investment and activity is to build relationships and trust with existing customers and partners, and to focus on some key new vertical markets in Solar Power & Energy and Wind, Environment Monitoring and Electrical Vehicles so that in the years to come, Digimax and Advantech will still be growing together. These are solid foundations to work form and support from Advantech will be crucial which, considering the general economic conditions, they believe will present new growth opportunities. Mr Massimo Tirapelle finished by saying that, "Our relationship is not between producer and distributor but between two partners who know and trust each other, we know what to expect from each other and know how to work together. Digimax has evolved and diversified over time to meet the challenges and we are expanding in many directions, so we would like to modify Advantech's slogan to: 'Enabling an Intelligent Planet TOGETHER', because we believe that by working together we can build trust and build our business in these challenging times."
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