Our Editor-in-chief, Apratim Ghoshal, Wood & Panel recently indulged into a conversation with Stefano Tibè, Sales Manager of Giardina Group in the occassion of Xylexpo. Stefano shares his expectations from Xylexpo, the main showcases, their main markets, plans for LIGNA 2025 and more. Excerpts.
What’s your expectations from this show?
Stefano Tibè: Honestly, we are not expecting too much from this show but our expectation is to meet a lot of customers and all our partners, like all the paint suppliers who are highly technologically efficient partners and of course our guests.
Can you briefly explain what you exhibiting in Xylexpo 2024?
Stefano Tibè: We are exhibiting our reciprocated spray machines. Also, there is a roller coater line which is a new technology that we have already presented two years ago at Xylexpo in 2022 and we presented our innovations at LIGNA along with a new technology – a roller coater comes with UV technology to apply base coat not only on flat panel surface but also on braised surfaces instead of applying regular sprays so the aim is to use the roller coating technology which is a paint saving also cost saving. By using the flexi roller coating which is patented to new tachnology that we patented two years aGo and this grants us to be able to apply UV base coat on three-dimensional surfaces.
Italy is your home market. Can you please tell how important is Italian market for you? What’s your major market in Europe?
Stefano Tibè: Well, Italy is for sure a reference market because the design of the furniture industry mainly comes from Italy so every customer that we are serving in Italy are really very important for us. In addition, it is also very crucial to understand the market and to follow the trend for the future. So, today our main market is for sure Europe and North America. In Europe, we have a good market sharing in UK and we have in Austria. Also, we have even a steady market in France and followed by North America which is another milestone for our sales. Again, we are exporting roughly 90% of our production. so, it means that the Italian market is corresponding to 10% which is not very much but is anyway very very important.
Looking ahead the rest of 2024 and early 2025, what’s your expectation?
Stefano Tibè: Well, honestly speaking, for us the 2024 has already been closed so we have completely sold the production capacity what we had for 2024 and coming to 2025, we have already sold the first quarter of 2025. So now we are working on the second quarter of 2025 and we consider that in next coming two-three months, we will be able to go on the second half of 2025.
2025 is the year of LIGNA, how exciting it is for you?
Stefano Tibè: Yes, of course, LIGNA is a very important event for all of us and it is considered the global event in worldwide. So, we will be there for sure and it will be the greatest opportunity to present the latest technologies that we are developing for the next year and we are very optimistic regarding this event.
