Ormac: Big or small, manufacturers need innovative machinery

Making track machinery manufacturer Ormac has “made a lot of improvements over the last 10 years”, sales area manager Gabriele Pauroso said.

Among the trends have been all-in-one solutions to reduce the space required for machinery. “We have competitors who are promoting robotics,” he said, “but those take up space.”

Another is improving the working environment by reducing pollution by enclosing some operations, like gluing and roughing, in cabins, which protect not only the operator, but people working nearby. Among other benefits, that makes it easier to find people to do those jobs, he said.

Ormac’s customers range from small factories making small pairages of very high quality, to big factories making big pairages of medium quality. “Their needs are different,” he said, “but they all need innovative equipment.”

Ormac works with Italian footwear manufacturers to develop equipment. “Most production in Italy is done in small factories,” he said. “Many of them work with difficult materials, like silk, supplying brands like Gucci and LVMH.

“We also work with manufacturers making orthopaedic footwear, where every last is customised, and with bespoke shoe manufacturers, making 1 or 2 pairs a day.

“We like to work with customers to develop step-by-step so they can relate to us. This is especially true of small customers, where we can supply them with equipment that at first looks complicated, but we are able to make them feel that machinery can meet their needs – for example, that it’s easy to get spares because the departments work closely.

“We’re able to satisfy both top brands and factories that don’t have big brands.”