Since last summer there’s been a new 3-man leadership team on the board of the northern Italian steel construc­tion company PELFA Group Srl. The company was founded in the town of Buja at the end of the 1970s by ­Redento Fabbro, who managed and developed the business successfully for four decades. Now, the reins have been handed over to Andrea Forgiarini, Daniele Fabbro and Alessandro Bertino. PELFA is a well-established steel construction company that stands for high-quality industrial components for the energy sector, railways, military, lifting technology sector and the construction industry. Hydropower projects now account for around 50% of PELFA’s order volume and the company has earned a particularly dis­tinguished reputation in this field. The Kühtai 2 power plant in Tyrol and ­the Reißeck 2plus power plant in ­Carinthia are two of the most recent and spectacular reference projects in the company’s portfolio.

When the company’s founder Fabbro Redento handed over executive ­power to his successors at the ­PELFA Group in July last year, it marked a small but significant turning point. Redento built up, expanded and positioned the ­company successfully in the international steel construction market for more than 40 years. The changing of the guard was completed to ensure all this good work and ­success continues. The company’s shareholding majority has been taken over by Andrea Forgiarini, Daniele Fabbro and Alessandro Bertino, who have worked closely with the company founder in management functions for several years. The three new PELFA chief executives stand for theoretical expertise, practical know-how, and for continuity. Andrea Forgiarini represents the company externally as President of the Board of ­Directors and is responsible for relations with customers, banks and administrative management. Daniele Fabbro runs the entire steel construction and welding production operation, and Alessandro Bertino is in ­charge of the mechanical processing and ­assembly departments. Andrea Forgiarini states: “We aim to continue pursuing the trends and developments of recent years, and to expand into new and challenging markets, while remaining as competitive as ever.”

Adaptability and the will to innovate
Forgiarini has been CEO at PELFA since 2004 and points out that the company has great respect for its employees – explaining that they are the most important factor in the company’s success. An appreciative corporate culture promotes positive interaction among employees, and is a major key to guarantee­ing smooth and open cooperation and ­communication between departments. “This ensures there is little employee turnover, and much-valued expertise remains within the company. And that’s of benefit to our ­customers, too” declares Forgiarini. Another secret of PELFA’s success is an unceasing will to develop. The company invests heavily in state-of-the-art equipment and machinery, as well as in the specialisation of its own staff. PELFA is convinced this is the only way to stand out from the competition in the medium term. This approach also ­explains the company’s ability to adapt to the latest challenges within the industry. The northern Italian company has reacted to high energy tariffs and rising raw material prices by developing a number of ­strategies: It has implemented several measures to improve energy ­efficiency in production processes, installed a photovoltaic set-up and new energy-saving systems. Moreover, PELFA relies on close ­cooperation with trusted suppliers to ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials and all requisite components.

Flexible and speedy responses
The PELFA Group has grown immensely, especially in the hydro ­sector. The hydro sector accounts for about 50% of the company’s total current order volume. “The hydro sector has facilitated ­qualitative growth in the past, and is incentivising continuous growth moving forward”, states Andrea Forgiarini. In the industry today, PELFA has established a reputation for being able to produce large components with a high level of technical complexity – investing all its expertise and keen attention to detail. “At PELFA, we continue to strive to be flexible and quick to respond to market challenges. Similarly, we are strongly committed to maintaining high product quality and ­reliability”, he adds. PELFA’s customer reference list alone speaks volumes about the qualities the company offers. Over the past months and years PELFA’s client list has included giants of the industry – such as VERBUND, Voith Hydro, Braun and DSD Noell. Most recently, the company supplied the spirals for the Reißeck 2plus power plant and is currently manufacturing spirals for the Kühtai 2 power plant project in Tyrol. Suction pipes, inlet pipes, ball valves and sluice gates have already been ­delivered, and similar components have been supplied to hydroelectric power plants all over the world in the last few years. The history of PELFA is a success story, no more – no less; and one now being continued by the new and highly-motivated trio at the head of the company.