SAS today stands as one of the leading manufacturers of combined drawing machines (CDM/CDL), peeling lines, chain pulling benches, bar handling lines (black bars/bright bars), straightening lines, segregation systems, grinding line, inspection lines – size/crack (NDT/ultrasonic), chamfering lines, feeder to forging machines, components for the above lines.
SAS, an Italian company having its headquarters in Suello, now have five premises of production in Suello (Lecco) with over 100 employees. SAS also get contribution from hundred more. In 1973, main activity of the company was reconditioning and performance improvements on running lines. Ten years later came the turning point.
SAS today stands as one of the leading manufacturers of combined drawing machines (CDM/CDL), peeling lines, chain pulling benches, bar handling lines (black bars/bright bars), straightening lines, segregation systems, grinding line, inspection lines – size / crack (NDT / ultrasonic), chamfering lines, feeder to forging machines, components for the above lines.
Beyond this, SAS offers reconditioning services for existing lines as well as tailor made solution for any customer’s need. SAS is specialised in the manufacturing of equipment for cold finishing, in particular coil and bar drawing and peeling lines for ferrous and non-ferrous metals, with diameters from 3 to 100 mm. Mr. Fermo Stefanoni, President, SAS says, “We provide a wide range of machineries that made us able to reach a leading position in the sector over the years.”
Different equipment, innovative technology and peculiarity of its industry have been some of SAS successful strategies for its growth, but not the only ones.
“Nowadays export sales volume counts for more than 65 percent of the total turnover that allowed us to mitigate crisis setbacks that hit the drawing companies in the European market during last years,” adds Mr. Stefanoni. “The key word at the base of our success worldwide is just one: quality. High level of technology, precision in details and skilled labour with low rate of employers’ rotation are some of the main features of SAS way of operating. The policy on prices can’t be effective anymore. Investments in control devices, machines’ safety and a strong know-how are crucial elements for our customers now and in the future and they appreciate they can find them with us,” he continues.
To grant the leading role of the company born in this area of Italy also for the time being, Fermo Stefanoni turns to young and future generations, “Although we have been able to create strong ties with our engineers designing our machines, nowadays, to find skilled people with the proper passion and motivation to carry on what started almost fifty years ago is more and more complicated. While new economy – namely new competitors – may arise around the world thanks to different general condition and labour cost, it will be hard, actually impossible to copy the know-how we put into our machines since the day first.”
To keep growing, new innovations are a must. This has been extremely true for SAS since the Company spent a lot of time and investments in R&D (research and development) during the last year to release important projects and new patents, which will take SAS to the top in terms of quality and cost reduction in an overall perspective, worldwide.
Today the company’s turnover is around EUR 20 million and its goal is to cross 30 million in the near future. During 2018, the company will introduce such new patents to the market. SAS will during the next Wire & Tube Exhibition in Düsseldorf introduce new ideas and innovations to potential customers. SAS strongly believe that necessity is the mother of all inventions and adopt the same strategy with every single customer with one to one care.
Although SAS activity is spread on global scale nowadays, the Indian market remains more lucrative and needing lot more upgradation. Being one of most attractive countries, SAS is close to set up a technical and service centre in India to support all its existing customers. Around 50 SAS installations, which are mostly new made, have been installed around the nation, and a continuous training in the new companies has been given to be oriented towards efficiency, quality and high performances. After few years of economic slowdown, SAS is noticing signs of improvement and more optimism among main Indian players. Mr. Stefanoni concludes, “I hope that the Government is keen in supporting companies in these crucial times to grow technically as India to become a HUB for the automotive sector. This may have a great impact for the market, for all the players and for our Company, as well.”
