Insight into ‘then and now’ of NUPI INDUSTRIE ITALIANE S.p.A. in the words of one of the main men standing behind the company’s success - General Sales Director, Engineer Giovanni Cipolla.
1st of October 2008 was a day to remember both for NUPI S.p.A. and GECO System S.p.A., because on that day the two companies joined their forces and together, they created Nupigeco S.p.A. which later on - in October 2015 - was taken over by NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A. It goes by that name till this day and -as stated by its General Sales Director, Engr. Giovanni Cipolla – the biggest pride of the company lies in its wide history and the unquestionable fact that it has taken every opportunity to keep up with the globalization despite all the difficulties always with the same enthusiasm and the can-do attitude. What is also very important, the company has set as its primary goal not only to manufacture the products of the highest quality that meet the performance requirements but, above all, customer satisfaction.
Company’s milestones
There would be no success without the humble beginnings, therefore let’s have a look at the timeline of the impressive key steps in the development of NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A.:
- 1972 - The first plant producing polyethylene pipes for water and gas under pressure of NUPI S.p.A. is founded in Imola (Bologna region).
- 1977 - The trademark NIRON is launched for plumbing installations.
- 1984 - The trademark NIRON Beta is launched for plumbing installations.
- 1994 - The ELOFIT fitting range for pipes under pressure is launched by GECO System.
- 1996 - NUPI S.p.A. announces the opening of a new plant for the pipes production in Castel Guelfo (Bologna).
- 1997 - The SMARTFLEX system used for the transportation of dangerous fluids and fuels is introduced by NUPI.
- 1998 – 2010 - The period of successful promotion of more than 10 systems for the transport of water and gas under pressure. In the meantime, the ELOSFERA range is expanded by 3 new systems for the use of renewable energy.
- 1999 - Multilayer pipes production for the plumbing applications is introduced.
- October 2008 - NUPI S.p.A. and GECO System S.p.A join forces to create Nupigeco S.p.A.
- 2010 – 2015 - 10 new product ranges get promoted.
- Oct 2015 - Nupigeco S.p.A. is taken over by NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A.
Portfolio
The wide range of products and services opens the door to the new possibilities on all kinds of business areas. In order to make the portfolio stand out among the competitors, except for the standard products in the catalogue, the company offers tailor-made problem-solving solutions, often very complex ones, that are required by the specific plant. The goal is to combine expertise in the development and production of piping systems for the sector of sanitary, industrial, gas, irrigation and heating with the experience in the production of pipes polymer dedicated to oil, chemical and petrochemical markets. The product range includes polypropylene systems (Niron, Niron Beta, Nero by Niron,Polysystem, Niron Pre-insulated), multilayer systems (Multinupi, Multigeco), energy saving systems (Eloweb, Nrgeo), gas&water distribution under pressure (Elofit, Polyethylene Tubes, Elopress, Elamid), plumbing systems (Elotherm, Ecowave), welding systems (welding tools) and lastly service stations (Smartflex, Smart Conduit, Olitech, Smart LPG, Ecosmart).
Operations strategy
Happy customers guarantee company’s well-being and when on top of that we add the complete portfolio of the products and services being ISO 9000 certified and also the flexibility of production, we get the features that characterize Nupi Industrie Italiane S.p.A. Market demands fluctuate and the most demanding customers are the most difficult ones to please, but that is what keeps the business going.
Plants and the personnel
There are 3 production plants in Italy for a total of 150,000 square meters. At the headquarters in Busto Arsizio the production is focused mainly on the fittings, while the two other plants in Castel Guelfo (Bologna) and Imola are the extrusion process plants. Together they employ around 270 people.
What’s in the pipeline
When we look into the ongoing projects, NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A. is working on solutions suitable to withstand the most extreme sanitization procedures for hospitals. This is going to take a while, but there are sufficient resources and most important - the willingness to take every possible step to ensure the sanitization quality meets the highest standards. When talking about new projects, the company has taken 8 new staff members on board dedicated to the research and design of the new solutions. The main investment goes currently into the purchase of machinery for prototyping.
Market activity and the customers
Let’s concentrate on the customers for a moment. NUPI’s main clientele is in the building and in the oil&gas sector, particularly in Europe and the far East. Diverse customers mean diverse needs and here is when NUPI offers product diversification with flexibility and customization. When we take a look at the company’s activity on the market, it exports nearly 65% of its turnover, mainly in the far East. Domestic market is also playing a big role in the whole process and for their Italian customers NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A. has got some special offers. There are various trends on the market. To give an example, polymer systems are progressively replacing the traditional solutions in the building business. Urban regeneration, with the new energy policy, in order to meet the new trend, is reducing the temperature of transported fluids. Due to all the emerging changes required by today’s market and the new existing solutions, the company is planning the stable but continuous growth, staying focused on reaching their goals and following the path of once started activities to be even better and more recognizable among the competitors.
Recent achievements
All the plans and projects sound very impressive to the readers, but to get an idea of what NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A. has achieved in 2018 here are some most recent successful investments and activities that the company is proud of. November 2018 -as all the other months in their calendar - has been a very busy and productive period for NUPI. The SMARTFLEX system used for the transport of fuels and dangerous fluids has been successfully installed in a service station in The Netherlands. In the same period, ELOFIT fittings have been used for the construction of the new water pipeline in the area of the Exposition of Achievements of the National Economy in Moscow. Going back to the activities on the domestic market, NADIR pipes and ELOFIT fittings have been installed for the fire fighting system in the world’s largest food park and shopping centre called FICO Eataly World. From Italy we move directly to the United States where NIRON Beta system has been installed for the air conditioning system at Eden Theological Seminary In St.Louis. The same system has also been successfully installed in Avera Healthcare in South Dakota. Going back to Europe, NIRON PPR pipes and fittings have been installed in the Centro Comercial Finestrelles shopping mall in Barcelona. Last but not least, POLYETHYLENE pipes have been installed in the project to restore the road system following Italy bridge collapse on 14th August causing 43 victims. No matter what the future holds for the industry, NUPI Industrie Italiane S.p.A. will stay true to their core values providing the flexible up-to-date offer and the quality so appreciated by the customers from all over the world.