• In ninety years of history, the name Polin has become known throughout the world. Three generations have built and maintained the high standards of the Italian company, always remaining true to the Polin values: Quality, Clarity, Honesty.
• With these principles and a constant focus on research and innovation, the Polin Group is the largest Italian industrial company – and one of the first in the world – in the design and manufacture of machines and ovens for bread, pastry and biscuits.
• Alberto Cometti, CEO of Polin Group, was kind enough to answer a few questions to the Arta Albă editorial staff, in order to present both the company's history and the top technology offered in the profile market.
1. Polin has a long history, more than ninety years. Can you briefly tell us the history of Polin and how your company has grown over the years?
The company was founded in 1929 by our grandfather, the engineer Gino Polin, who, as an inventor and entrepreneur, began to produce bakery ovens, thus starting our long history.
Guided then by businessmen like my father and uncle, the company it continuously grew and developed until modern times, when my brother Cesare and I took over.
In three generations and more than ninety years of history, Polin's leadership position recognized on all continents has been built and maintained, facing the changing times and always firmly following the line drawn by our values.
The company has always had two souls: one dedicated to the craft sector (ovens and machines for bakeries, pastry shops, pizzerias) and one dedicated to the industrial sector, where we produce customized systems for the confectionery industry.
Today, the Polin Group is the largest company in Italy - and among the first in the world - in the design and production of ovens and machines for bread, pastry and biscuits: we offer on the market a complete range of machines for the modern laboratory dedicated to the white art.
2. What were the main success factors to position yourself among the world leaders, especially since today many companies are acquired by large investment companies?
Our connection with the company is deep: its history has been intertwined with that of the family since its inception.
We remain firm at the helm of the company because we continue to believe in our work, in the future we can create, in our potential and in the Italian genius of knowing how to create a product.
Just last year, the Polin brand was recognized as a historical brand and entered the special register of historical brands of national interest of the Ministry of Business and Trademarks Made in Italy.
I believe that our success is related to the fact that we have always focused on the quality and performance of our technology, with the aim of always ensuring maximum benefits for our customers, meeting all their specific production and time and cost optimization needs.
3. Last year at Sigep, Polin was awarded by Master Massari for representing the excellence of 4.0 technology made in Italy worldwide. What can you tell us about this technology? "turnkey" that your company has been designing and implementing since 2017?
The award given by Iginio Massari is something that made us very happy indeed: it was a recognition of great value that adds to the success of a technological solution that, as of 2017, counts more than 1.000 systems installed in laboratories throughout Italy .
We were the first in our country to create an industrial system 4.0 for the world of white art that allowed laboratories of all sizes to renew furnaces and machines with the most advanced technology.
I had the intuition to offer a "turnkey solution" which would ensure to the clients the tax advantages provided by the law for 4.0, without having to face long bureaucratic procedures or resort to additional technical interventions.
The fact that we are the only company on the market that offers a complete range of fully designed and manufactured 4.0 equipment has certainly made our task easier: Polin Group is able to create a complete laboratory in the 4.0 system: furnaces, machines, software, interconnection.
Thanks to this, our Industry 4.0 solution is still the only truly 100% complete solution on the market.
4. Do you have any significant technical innovations for this year?
The desire to maintain a reference position in the market, as creators of cutting-edge technology, has led us to continuously invest in research and develop new specialized departments.
The company has always been dedicated to innovation, not only in terms of ovens, but in the entire range dedicated to the profile industry.
This year at SIGEP we are bringing technological improvements that we are constantly developing: all our products are subject to continuous improvement.
The main objectives are:
– to make them increasingly easy to use;
– to reduce energy consumption more and more;
– to increase performance.
And there is also the novelty BakeApp Cloud, the evolution of our management software, which will make it possible to interconnect and connect all the machines in a laboratory in the Cloud: this translates into the possibility of having an even more advanced management of the laboratory, while always being under control:
– consumption;
- the costs;
– productivity;
- maintenance
and more.
5. In recent years, the Polin Group has made interesting acquisitions, adding new companies to its portfolio. What are the criteria followed when a new company joins the Group?
In order to fulfill our main objective, which is to make the offer we make to our artisan customers richer and more complete, the group expands by integrating Italian companies similar in terms of activity, quality and sharing of ideals and principles.
6. What are the key aspects in meeting individual customer needs?
Having a complete view of what our client needs in their lab and beyond.
Dividing dough, leavening, shaping, baking... our products help the professional at every stage of his work.
The added value of our Group is this complete technological vision of a laboratory.
7. How do you expect the bakery and pastry industry to evolve in the coming years and how is Polin preparing for these changes?
I think we are heading for a new market evolution, especially in bread.
While the patisserie continues to have a trend where there are small, medium and large laboratories, in the world of bread we are witnessing a process of redefinition.
Our analyzes of market trends show us that we are increasingly moving towards a split: on the one hand, small bakeries, increasingly dedicated to creative and gourmet production, and on the other hand, large bakeries , where quantity and distribution play a more important role.
What is the average bakery today will tend to disappear or make choices that will redefine itself into one of these two categories.
Interview conducted by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
Read on White Art and: What is influencing the bakery market today?
