Efficiency for inefficient markets

Small batches, a wide range of different materials and colors and frequent mold changes hamper the objective of low unit costs. ZECA accepted this challenge and succeeded in strengthening its competitiveness. The key to its success is in-house injection molding production using complete injection molding solu-tions from a single source supplied by WITTMANN.

Formed in a single cast – this metaphor comes to mind when entering the produc-tion plant of ZECA, just half an hour’s drive north of Turin. Eight injection molding machines from WITTMANN of different types and sizes are standing in a line, at the end of which a large central unit for drying and handling plastic granulate has been installed. All machines are consistently fitted with auxiliary appliances and robots which have also come from WITTMANN. A glance at the central monitor of the hall reveals that digitalization has become an integral part of the scene as well. The pro-duction cells are all networked via Wittmann 4.0 and integrated into TEMI+, the MES system developed by WITTMANN Digital for WITTMANN Group. “Our custom-ers are impressed when they come to visit our production plant”, says Paolo Chiarabaglio with pride. He manages the almost century-old company in the fourth generation together with his brother Marco. “We present to our customers a very clean, modern factory. Everything fits into the general color scheme, too. I am sure that people work with greater motivation in such a beautiful environment.”

The ZECA colors yellow, gray and black are the dominating shades on the injection-molded parts running off the conveyor belts on the day of our visit. The company specializes in workshop equipment for both professional and do-it-yourself users, as well as charging stations for electric vehicles. Cable and hose reel systems are among their most widely known product lines. In Italy, their brand name has long been established as a synonym for the entire product group. “Whenever people need a reel, they go into a shop and ask for a ZECA,”, says Chiarabaglio.

Quality and cost-efficiency fully under control

For a long time, the injection-molded parts were bought from external suppliers. Then, in 2022, the managers decided to establish their own injection molding pro-duction. However, they did not build on a proverbial greenfield site. Instead, ZECA acquired an existing factory building which had become vacant. In fact, they made a point of exploiting all possible efficiency potentials in the layout of the new injection molding hall.
Competition is tough. In Asia, similar products are manufactured, “at half the price, but also with lower quality standards”, says Chiarabaglio, and emphasizes that: “ZECA’s good reputation is based on the excellent quality of our products. But we must still produce them at competitive prices.” 

To have full control over cost efficiency and quality was the essential reason for the management’s decision to start up their own injection molding production. “In the past, we had to reject many supply parts due to quality problems”, Chiarabaglio re-ports. “In some cases, materials other than those specified by us were used, and the price calculation was not very transparent.”

With its own production, ZECA is also more flexible, above all against the backdrop of an enormous variance in colors. While the company’s own products require only three colors to be processed, many other different colors and types of material are added to this by the contract manufacturing sector. When products are being made in a wide range of different colors, this leads to small batch sizes, with the effect of comparatively high unit costs for external production. Accordingly, ZECA often or-dered larger batches to keep in stock, which caused additional warehouse costs in-house. Paolo Chiarabaglio calls this dilemma “inefficient markets”.

Finally, there was yet another, very personal reason that led to the decision to relocate production to the company’s own facility, as Chiarabaglio tells us: “When I was a child, my father often took me along when visiting customers. When presenting our company, he always said that we are assembling products. This irritated me already at an early age. After all, these were our very own products and our product designs. So, I also wanted to be able to say that we are the makers of these prod-ucts.”

Everything from a single source to reduce expenses

Next to one of the new WITTMANN machines we meet Giacomo Meaglia. He is the head of the new Plastic Division – and a “stroke of luck” for ZECA, as Paolo Chiarabaglio puts it. “With Giacomo, we acquired extensive injection molding know-how for our company.” The young plastics processing engineer had been trained at his father’s injection molding business. From the very beginning, he had learned to think not only in terms of technical parameters, but also in terms of business admin-istration key figures. So, he is predestined for leading the development of ZECA’s new production plant in a position of responsibility.

Jointly with the experts from WITTMANN, he planned the layout for the new injection molding hall as well as efficient working procedures. “The most effective support we could give to ZECA was to deliver turn-key production cells from a single source”, emphasizes Gianmarco Braga, Managing Director of WITTMANN BATTENFELD Italia. “Coordination between several different suppliers is very time-consuming. Our customers are spared this type of expenditure.”

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