SMALVIC Built-in with a cosmopolitan flavor

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In the production of a historical industry, based in Veneto, made- in-Italy meets the requirements of the “world citizens”.


For over fifty years Smalvic has been producing technological solutions for the built-in sector that give life to a wide, deep offer, characterized by stylistically refined products, able to interpret the users’ needs in different areas of the world. This is made possible by the company commercial policy, based on a direct and continuous relationship with the dealers of the areas to which it exports its ovens and hobs. 60% of the turnover is developed among Russia, Middle East, Far East, Usa and Australia.

Paola Gasparini, Smalvic managing director

Paola Gasparini, Smalvic managing director
Paola Gasparini, Smalvic managing director

Tradition and innovation: how do they live together in your mission?

It is a fundamental binomial for Smalvic. Tradition is the reference value for a company founded in 1958 as Officine e Smalterie Vicentine by the engineer Enrico Dell’Orto, so for a company that can rightly be defined as historical in the built-in appliances sector and that has been producing in Italy all the time. Innovation is the fundamental guideline. It is translated in the constant studying of new solutions in terms of planning and functionality, but also in the ability to catch the signals of the market (Smalvic exports more than 60% of its production), as well in focusing on the qualitative aspects.

Has the balance between these two components led to specific measures in terms of productive organization?
To innovate in manufacturing means also, and especially, innovate the system: to make changes able to optimize the results in terms of product and process. Changing is not easy in a company that has a history of more than 50 years behind it, but it is crucial.
A few years ago we adopted a Lean Management project, led by a team of experts, which aims to optimize the results through small steps, but in a progressive way and with continuity, avoiding waste and defining the value in a customer-oriented logic.

How do you manage to intercept or anticipate new trends in demand?
New trends are intercepted thanks to our long term international presence, to a direct knowledge of the consumers habits, but also through our extensive range. Smalvic pay a particular care to each market needs: and one of its strengths is the direct relationship with buyers, namely the dealers of different countries, which are able to transmit the new requirements in a direct and immediate way.

What tools allow you to meet the specific needs of a buyer?
Flexibility and opportunity to customize the product are recorded in the Smalvic Dna. This allows us to customize or make ad hoc series for some markets, a very appreciated plus by the buyers. For example, all the time Smalvic has been producing large-size ovens and for a long time it has been proposing big cavity models in all versions: multifunction, electric, electronic, gas. There is no need to ask: everything is already on our catalog.

Which positioning do you intend to pursue in the future?
The positioning is linked to the offer quality, so in a market segment that starts from mid-level to the top one for some kind of products, such as multi-function mixed with steam oven, which is the perfect synthesis of Italian Techno Cooking we export to the world. With a built-in catalog with over 400 products, an always expressed vocation to have a very wide range (for products categories, sizes and functions) of ovens, hobs and free-standing cookers, we are really ready to meet the needs of all kind of customers, in all the markets of the world.

Are the international certifications an opportunity to reaffirm the intrinsic value of your production?
The international certifications are undoubtedly the clear and recognized attestation of the value of the products and of the production process quality, which are essential in some markets; they become a sort of identity card, or better, a passport to present the characteristics of the appliance in a rigorous way and to ensure its adequacy to the current legislation in the different countries. We can mention the Quality System Certificate Iso 9001:2008, CE certification according to the gas directive for gas appliances and mixed, the Csa certification for gas products intended for North American market, the Ksa (Saso) for hobs and electric gas and mixed ovens for the Middle East; the Sgs / Sai-Global for electrical and gas appliances destined for the Australian market and the New Zealand; the CB Scheme for oven and essentially covered electrical hobs of 220-240V 50/60Hz.

What does the expression “Made in Italy” suggest to you nowadays?
Smalvic is a strictly Italian industrial company. Everything is entirely conceived, engineered and built in the historical site at Sarcedo, in the province of Vicenza. Ours is therefore a 100% made-in-Italy, and this on the basis of our precise choice that recall three essential values: the possibility to always guarantee the appliances quality, the accuracy of the service that accompanies the post-sale, the employment safeguarding in the settlement territory of the company.

What characteristics allow a national product to stand out in the global market?
Design and innovation are the passwords. In this sense, Smalvic has been involved all the time in the search for new design solutions, to create items characterized by an aesthetic that combines innovation and functionality, safety and energy savings. The taste for beauty, the aesthetic value and the whole system of meanings related to the design on the one hand, and the “historical” value of a company that has a long past, that has been established on the same territory for many years, that has a close relationship with the context in which it operates on the other, are fundamental elements to characterize the quality Italian product in the global market.

How can they represent an added value for a buyer who invests in an Italian brand?
To meet the needs of new consumers and emerging markets, thanks to a stylistic research that customizes the appliances in a firmly and original way, offering a wide range of customized solutions, an innovation always conceived for the customer service, with the warranty of the quality Italian manufacturing, is a fundamental part of the design philosophy of Smalvic. Understanding the markets to build the future, always exploring new opportunities is our mission.

Do you think it would be desirable a stronger synergy among producers to strengthen the made-in-Italy in the world?
More than an alliance among manufacturers, it is desirable to have a global promotion of made-in-Italy in the world, the so desired promotion of the country-system. In the international markets they must be able to perceive that made-in-Italy is not the quality label of the products of a specific company rather than another, but the context in which they are created, the result of a craft ability that has very old roots, a constructive knowledge that can be found only here. In short, we need a healthy pinch of national pride and a structured promotion scheme, also to remember that the made- in-Italy is not only fashion and cars.

The first Italian built-in
Smalvic was founded in 1958 as Officine e Smalterie Vicentine by the engineer Enrico Dell'Orto. A production organization is immediately put beside the first enamelling activity, so to be able to introduce to the market - as the first Italian company - the built-in appliances for the kitchen. In the following years, the vocation to the flexibility in respect of the market consolidates itself and the company specializes in the production of ovens and hobs, both signed with Smalvic brand and for the largest producers of Italian kitchens. The historical site is characterized by a 30,000 square meters production area. The labor force consists of more than 100 employees. 400 are the items on the catalog. The production amounted to a value of about 100,000 units per year.
Multitasking oven
131007_Smalvic_1015905400_Guide (640x640)The multifunction mixed with steam oven "Range 45" features 17 functions. 4 steam cooking options are available: Steam 100°, static and ventilated cooking, steam 130°, static and ventilated cooking, in addition to the manual steam option. It is also available the fast heating. The function of assisted steam, a professional derivation, also allows to combine steam cooking to the other types, optimizing time and efficiency. This "multitasking" product represents a pleasure for daily life as it satisfies all kind of customers, from the health-conscious looking for a light and healthy cooking to those who pay attention to energy saving, up to the most demanding targets asking for a domestic oven with professional performances to make very different kinds of cooking in small spaces. The extreme ease of use, the cleaning and decalcification programs, are other elements that enrich the appliance performance and reinforce the feeling with the consumer.