Interview

We asked the management a few questions about the business needs, the solutions adopted and the future horizons that our storage, handling and automation solutions open up for them.

What is the history of Fiorentini Alimentari S.p.A, what are the main products you make, with which production cycle?

Fiorentini Alimentari was founded in 1918 as a small speciality food shop in the centre of Turin. Over the years and with the succession of generations, in which the Fiorentini family has been the sole shareholder since the company’s foundation, the company has grown and developed into a modern industrial reality, a leader in the field of healthy bread substitutes, with a projected turnover of 130 million euros, two production plants and around 300 direct and indirect employees.

What are the main distribution channels for Fiorentini Alimentari S.p.A products? How does the company position itself concerning the competition?

The main distribution channels are: in Italy, large retailers, both with Fiorentini brand products and as co-packers for private labels; abroad, brokers and/or importers, with whom the customer’s private label is mainly developed. Thanks to an important research and development activity, Fiorentini’s strength lies in the innovation of its products: for example, we were the first in Europe to introduce corn rice cakes.

How does Fiorentini Alimentari S.p.A guarantee its products quality? What criteria are applied in the raw material selection?

The quality of our products is ensured by various means. These range from process standardisation and a high degree of automation to the application of international quality standards such as IFS and BRC, for which we have been certified for many years. In addition, a team of around 20 people constantly monitors production, carrying out analyses and checks on raw materials and finished products, as well as ensuring constant compliance with hygiene standards. We are constantly monitored by our customers, through surprise and non-surprise audits, as well as routine checks by the health authorities. Raw materials are selected by means of a careful screening of suppliers, evaluation of their production facilities and the application of certified quality standards, as well as continuous sampling and laboratory analysis of the various batches to be supplied.

What was the main need/problem to be met that prompted you to adopt Agriflex solutions?

The main requirements were to automate the transport of raw materials to the mixing plants, to standardise operating procedures and make them usable by all operators, to minimise waste and scrap of the raw materials used and, last but not least, to have a software capable of automatically reporting all material consumption, avoiding as far as possible manual operations that could lead to errors.

What advantages have you experienced in using Agriflex storage and dosing solutions in your product production?

Certainly automating and standardising our processes has allowed us to streamline and speed up operational activities.

After the implementations carried out with the different Agriflex plants, have you found over the years a reduction in the waste of the various raw materials used for recipes?

By eliminating many manual operations, we have been able to reduce raw material waste.