Argnani & Monti betting on foreign markets
Efficient and flexible production processes enabling the manufacturer at work in the agro-mechanization sector to adapt their range to new market demand has allowed the Bertinoro company to consolidate the presence abroad to weather the difficulties caused by crisis conditions experienced in Italy
In the setting of a recession which had been decidedly critical for the Italian agricultural mechanization sector – FederUnacoma reports that registrations of tractors and combine harvesters sank to an historic low in 2012 – Argnani & Monti, headquartered in Bertinoro, is aiming at commercial diversification for the consolidation of their business in such emerging countries as Brazil, China and Russia, in their confirmed markets as in Germany and for taking opportunities opening up in such countries as Kazakistan, recently showing promise. In summary, the Romagnola manufacturer has responded to crisis conditions at home by looking abroad without, however, giving up investments in Italy where, in spite of the persistent problems with the economy, the company maintains its grassroots standing.
The internationalization strategy pursued by management is paying off with sales abroad growing, though they account for only 25% of turnover, and are expected to show further improvement in the coming years. Argnani & Monti has thus been able to balance their business risks with the addition of the weight of expansion on foreign markets. From this point of view, careful attention to the quality of the final product and flexibility in their production processes, which have always distinguished the work of the manufacturer, have given Argnani & Monti the competitive edge their require.
Quality has long been acknowledged for the models turned out by the Romagnola company and flexibility has allowed them to calibrate their products in relation to market trends by redesigning or extending their range to meet demand. The present owners, Vincenzo Monti and Anna Maria Salvigni, said, “In the beginning, in 1965, we mainly built earthmoving machinery and plows and then we moved into to land reclamation, dozers and rippers. Today our core business is in machinery for materials moving as well as snowplows and salt spreaders.” Along with extending their range, well known for durability and reliability since 1965, Argnani & Monti have always trained attention on the technical features of their machinery. Front loaders, one of the company's leading products, have especially benefited from these updates to reach a level of automation now allowing the operator to manage the loader with speed and precision without any need to climb down from the tractor cab.
For their salt spreaders, built in stainless steel, Bertinoro technicians have introduced an electronic selection valve to enable the operator to gauge the quantity of salt spread according to the velocity of work performed. A real Argnani & Monti pride and joy is their innovative hydraulic snowplow to make the manufacturer one very few in the work turning out a machine for clearing airport runways in the winter and keeping runway lights clean. This snowplow went into production two years ago and scored an immediate success for operations at such airports as those in Astana, Kazakistan, Leningrad in Russia and a few cities in Siberia as well as in Kiev in Ukraine. In the near future, the machine, designed and built in Romagna, will be exported to the nearby Bologna airport.
