Eurocardan was founded in 1982 with the aim of producing high quality cardan transmissions for agricultural use. Cardan joints are devices used to transfer power from a driveshaft to a machine, when the power take-offs are not aligned.
Initially, Eurocardan was supposed to serve one of the companies of the Aurora Group of which it is part (“Sicma”, specialised in the production of agricultural machinery), but over the years, it has been able to develop an excellent reputation for the production of reliable high quality products in the sector of agricultural shafts, expanding the product portfolio offered with a wide range of safety devices.
Eurocardan has therefore built its own market and has continued to grow over the years, establishing a global presence and supplying its products to customers around the world.
Interview with Marcello Aurora, General Manager at Eurocardan.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Marcello Aurora: We have always strongly believed in the value of “Full Made in Italy”. As is the case with all the companies of the Aurora Group, the production chain is totally integrated and all phases – from design to component manufacturing – are carried out in Italy, in the Atessa factory (in the province of Chieti). Furthermore, being part of the Aurora Group (which has 5 manufacturing companies, all in Italy) allows Eurocardan to exploit industrial synergies with other production plants.
E.E: What are the ranges of products? What’s the news about new products?
M.A: Eurocardan today offers solutions for power transmission in the agricultural sector up to 450 HP. At the same time, daily contact with our customers has allowed us to develop very specific safety devices and power transmission solutions in general.
In this edition of Agritechnica, we are happy to present our wide range of automatic clutches, which has been enriched with new versions capable of responding to specific needs both in terms of calibration and dimensions.
Additionally, we will showcase some of the solutions specifically developed for our customers to improve operations and safeguard agricultural machinery.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
M.A: Eurocardan’s customers consist of both manufacturers (original equipment) and those who deal with spare parts. In Italy, there are many manufacturers who have already chosen our products: although approximately 50% of Eurocardan’s turnover comes from abroad, our goal is to increase the number of foreign OEM customers that we are able to serve by exploiting our know-how to develop new solutions based on their specific needs.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
M.A: The components sector is experiencing a phase of strong change: the larger players are turning their attention to the industrial sector, characterised by greater volumes and therefore economies of scale that are easier to exploit. The agricultural sector, smaller but absolutely dynamic and stimulating, continues to constitute Eurocardan’s core business. We take the effects of these recent dynamics as further opportunities to continue expanding specific solutions for our customers.
Furthermore, the Aurora Group, of which Eurocardan is part, has recently acquired control of BRM Gearboxes, a manufacturer of transmission units located in Bologna. The resulting industrial and commercial synergy allows Eurocardan and BRM Gearboxes to present themselves on the market offering finished solutions for power transmission in the agricultural sector.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
M.A: The requests we receive more and more frequently from our customers are for the creation of customised solutions: agricultural machinery manufacturers are increasingly specialised and offer highly sophisticated solutions. A component manufacturing company like Eurocardan cannot fail to take these drivers into account. At Eurocardan, we provide our customers with a strong design capacity, understood both as the ability to devise innovative and effective solutions and as speed in developing them: our added value is precisely this. Being a company completely dedicated to “Made in Italy”, we have a team of Italian and internal designers, able to have direct contact with customers, with whom we can find the best solutions based on their needs.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
M.A: Although at the start of the year 2023 showed the liveliness of the previous two years (characterised by strong growth), in the middle it showed a moment of stasis which continues to persist today. While on the one hand most of the tensions regarding the availability of raw materials appear to have been solved, purchasing prices continue to be high, a factor that slows down the economic cycle even further. Therefore, it seems that 2023 will end as a year of reflection, further accentuated by the uncertainty of the geopolitical situation.
However, all the main sector studies seem to agree on a market recovery in 2024, in this sense Eurocardan is ready to face all the new opportunities that arise.