• In a recent interview, Ciprian Brebeanu, General Manager of Nova Pan, detailed the company's journey after 25 years of activity and the strategies through which it responds to current challenges in the bakery and pastry industry.
The company has evolved significantly in recent years, moving from a model focused primarily on the provision of equipment, design, installation and service, to a fully integrated approach.
"We currently offer customers a complete, 360° approach, covering the entire chain of needs – from equipment and consumables, to know-how, training and information", said Ciprian Brebeanu.
This vision was realized through the development of our own production of consumables (under the brand Nova Pan Line - closeband, a product of type clip band, dedicated to the packaging of bakery products and more, as well as oils for dividers and slicers) and the line of professional utensils and accessories (Confectioner Isteț), but also through consistent investments in the educational component. The space Baking Show – a fully equipped laboratory – serves for testing, demonstrations and training courses, and the media platform White Art continues to provide valuable information and know-how to industry professionals.
Growth and major investments
Nova Pan's turnover almost doubled compared to the level recorded in 2015 (approximately 25 million lei). An essential contribution was made by European funds, which financed investments of over one million euros. Major projects include the acquisition of a second production line for closeband, the implementation of a wire drawing line (reducing dependence on imports from the Czech Republic and Italy), the installation of a photovoltaic panel system with a power of approximately 760 kW and multiple digitalization projects.
A balanced and resilient business structure
The diversification of the activity has created a more stable structure, less dependent on the investment cycles specific to equipment sales. Today, Nova Pan's business is divided between equipment distribution, its own production and the area of consumables and related services.
Quality service remains a strategic priority:
"This approach makes a difference in the market and is one of the main elements of differentiation from the competition, regardless of whether we are referring to the activity in our country or at an international level", emphasized Ciprian Brebeanu.
He added that while artificial intelligence-based technologies will play an increasingly important role in diagnosis and prevention, "the human component will remain essential - actual field interventions, such as assemblies or component replacement, cannot be completely replaced by technology".
Digitalization and automation
Digitalization is treated as an essential condition for performance. Nova Pan has implemented an ERP system, its own call service system and a dedicated customer application that allows real-time tracking of intervention and equipment history.
In the context of labor shortages, customers are increasingly looking for automated solutions that allow them to produce more, more consistently, and with less reliance on human intervention. The packaging area is also becoming increasingly important for both logistical efficiency and product presentation on the shelf.
Realistic sustainability
Nova Pan has also taken concrete steps towards sustainability, through the photovoltaic system that covers a significant part of its own consumption and by developing equipment with low energy consumption. However, Ciprian Brebeanu remains pragmatic:
"However, we must be realistic: in the Romanian market, the economic factor remains, in many cases, decisive. Sustainability is gaining ground, but it is adopted to the extent that it aligns with efficiency and return on investment."
Direction for the next period
In an unstable economic context with reduced predictability, the company adopts a pragmatic, short-term-oriented approach:
"We live in a world of big players, who have the resources to absorb shocks. For medium-sized companies, like ours, the challenge is to stay afloat and move forward. Perhaps the real performance, in the coming period, will not mean how much we grow, but how well we manage to remain consistent, serious and reliable", concluded Ciprian Brebeanu, in the interview given to the publication Business Journal.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor-in-Chief Arta Albă
Read on White Art and: A quarter of a century of Nova Pan
