HotSeat – Miriam Olivi, Sales Director at Frigosystem Group
Founded in 1970, Frigosystem-Corema remains focused on the design, manufacture and sale of industrial chillers and temperature controllers, with a long experience in high accuracy systems. Sales Director, Miriam Olivi has been with the company for over thirteen years, and she is next to face the HotSeat…
What trends do you think will shape the future of UK plastics? How will Frigosystem respond?
I think the consequences of Brexit and Covid will lead to sustained and burgeoning internal production within the UK.
There will be a growing demand for more technical plastic products, where accurate thermoregulation will be mandatory to achieve high throughputs, reduce waste and maintain a constant quality of the final product.
Emphasis will continue to be placed in green and energy-saving technologies for any plastic process. Even though these will be driven in part by new EU regulations, UK manufacturing will need to keep pace to remain competitive and reinforce its green credentials.
Frigosystem can respond to manufacturer requirements for more technical, higher quality products and reduced environmental impact with efficient cooling systems. Featuring ecological and innovative use of refrigerant gas and capitalising on new technology, our cooling systems are notable for high accuracy and are optimised for energy savings with variable flow and load control, low maintenance, and no water consumption or dissipation. We have specific technologies designed for many high-tech applications, particularly for any film processing.
Frigosystem works closely with our UK customers in sizing the system and choosing the best-performing solution for their project, as well as providing aftersales support, including integrated predictive maintenance software.
How has Frigosystem developed during your tenure?
When I started in 2007, Frigosystem sold to only three countries outside Italy. Today, every year, we sell to more than 50 countries around the world, thanks to our global and ever-expanding sales network. As a result, Frigosystem’s export turnover is 15 times higher than when I started, and the domestic market here in Italy has also grown considerably.
Aside from our (recently expanded) headquarters near Milan, we now have three new branch offices around the world in Germany, Mexico and the United States under our ‘Go Trade’ company umbrella. This expansion was in response to increased sales in these regions and to maintain close ties with OEMs.
We have sustained and continue to grow our vital relationships with OEMs, including blown film extrusion, printing and converting manufacturers. This was best demonstrated most recently during K2019 when our cooling technologies were featured on many lines around the show on many different applications. We are incredibly proud of our connection to so many OEMs as it speaks of the trust they place in Frigosystem to help deliver a quality final product along with important reductions in energy consumption.
We have developed many new applications and implemented the use of patented technology on much of our equipment range, including our KITE & KITE DEX units for blown film, true adiabatic dry coolers and combined heating and cooling units. We’ve expanded our range of temperature controllers and invested heavily in the use and development of more varied ecological gasses and inverter-controlled compressors. We’ve put more emphasis on service, from changing the design of our equipment to be more user and service-friendly to the development of FS-I link, our predictive maintenance software.
Everything we do is to help make our customers more competitive – by reducing their energy bills and downtime whilst making a better-quality final product.
As a result of all this, we are present around the world and can manage a range of highly technical projects for customers and OEMs.
What do you credit as the key to your success?
Every country operates differently, and by working closely with our sales network to analyse these different markets, we have implemented varied and relevant strategies that can be adjusted accordingly. As a result, we are agile and able to respond effectively wherever we are in the world.
We are passionate about the work we do here at Frigosystem – chillers should not be regarded as an afterthought to the manufacturing equipment but as a critical component of the entire production. We are positive that Frigosystem equipment can make that vital contribution to our customer’s overall competitiveness, and we like to share our knowledge and positivity.
As with any successful business, it is critical to have the right team in place. I can draw on a wealth of knowledge from my technical department, rely on production to keep pace with our growing order book, and count on the support of our aftersales team to help keep our existing customers happy with thorough and prompt technical support.
I think it’s also worth noting that we are a diverse team at Frigosystem, with colleagues from many different backgrounds and cultures. It contributes to our global outlook, our attention to the customer and ultimately, our combined success.
What has been the greatest challenge in your career?
There have been many, and I can’t identify the single greatest one. Challenges are incredibly useful: I like to learn and study in order to face them. Challenges keep me motivated, and they present ways in which to grow my competence. I like having challenges in my daily business life.
What advice do you wish you’d had on entering the industry and does that differ from the advice you would give to an apprentice joining now?
I regret I had to learn a lot on my own. For an apprentice today, I would be the tutor and the guide that I never had and missed. I would share any experience, any skill and any impression in order to provide the tools to start in this industry.
What hidden talents do you have?
I can see the hidden talents in all my co-workers and can help them to grow their awareness.
Frigosystem has been represented in the UK and Ireland since 2001 by Intelicare. UK customers, please visit the Intelicare website for more information.
