Allegri, located close to Milan city, has been present for over 70 years in the fluid hoses/tubes sector and in these years has developed and patented a series of innovative products that have led the company to be increasingly successfully.
Technology and innovation are not Allegri’s only characteristics, in fact they pursue two other aspects: quality and safety. It is not enough to offer a totally “made in Italy” product but they want to guarantee the best raw materials and control them throughout the entire production cycle.
Allegri’s experience, the “made in Italy” culture and their continuous desire to improve, make them collaborate with the most prestigious motorcycle and automotive companies, for which the company is supplier for the products destinated to the market or for the competition racing uses.
Interview with Giorgio Rampi, Sales Manager at Allegri.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Giorgio Rampi: Allegri is a certified company leader in automotive brake hoses market but we’re working for some other industries that need professional support and customized hoses/fittings.
However, our business is concentrated on partnerships with the most prestigious motorcycle manufacturers and also collaborations with car manufacturers where we supply the “original equipment”. This not only for the brake hoses but also for the oil cooler pipes/fittings but also for the suspensions (where we have many collaborations with the most famous brands). Among our partners, not only the manufacturers but also the world leaders in braking systems who buy pipes and fittings from us to offer their most prestigious KITs.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
G.R: The brake hose sector requires first of all safety and quality with no margin for mistakes. This is where we work and we’re focused.
Vehicles, year by year, have become increasingly performing, complex and with the new regulations, temperatures have also risen considerably in some areas. Furthermore, today electronics are the heart of the whole system… well, in this “organism” our products are the “arteries” of the system.
In this evolution, standardized products are no longer enough, now “ad hoc” designed details are often needed. By these reasons everyday we work in close contact with the designers dpt. of our clients/partners, to create fittings and details according to their design or our proposal.
All of this must be carried out with the utmost care (we are talking about the braking system) and must comply with all the regulations/certifications which are increasingly restrictive year after year.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
G.R: As I already said, Allegri is a UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015 and EN ISO 14001: 2015 certified company, world leader in the production of hoses/fittings for the motorcycles and automotive sectors.
We are certified ISO, AMECA, CQC e TUV.
But also produces hoses for suspensions, oil feed and drain applications, coolant radiators, hoses for industrial and medical use, including hot temperature assemblies (all compliant with the SAE 100/R14). With the Allegri joins into the Unigasket Italian group, who specialize in PTFE tube extrusion where is one of the worldwide leaders, the products offer has further expanded.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
G.R: We live in a situation of great instability which sees our partners experience moments of great enthusiasm and moments of extreme prudence. Fortunately, they don’t experience these situations at the same time and this ensures us an important continuity of work. Certainly, we ourselves are developing our offer both “horizontally” and “vertically” in order to be very responsive to the needs of our partners and the new markets they are entering.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
G.R: The main markets (first of all the European one) seem to have stabilized after very difficult moments and a discrete and slow recovery. It is certainly the new markets that are very interesting and that can offer great growth prospects in the medium term. Due to geographical, economic and cultural issues, these have very different characteristics and therefore our challenge is to better interpret their requests/needs as well as offer the most technically suitable product. All very interesting challenges that allow us to make new experiences and improve ourselves.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
G.R: As mentioned in the answer to question n.3, in the sector of braking systems it’s the electronics that dictate the rules. Here we must then distinguish the products intended for the racing sector and those intended for the commuter market. In the first we are testing new lighter or more performing materials for the same weight, while for the second the research is understandably oriented towards the best quality/price ratio. It is in the industrial sector where we see continuous research and innovation, linked to the layout of the pipes both internally and externally as well as the braids and coatings, linked to the fittings that connect or secure them to extremely complex machinery.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
G.R: We will have a fairly “quiet” first part of the season in the wake of a 2022 that saw its last months with a “cautious” approach to targets & forecasts. But as history teaches us, the phases are cyclical and as early as the second quarter we will see a sign of recovery which, if there are no further problems with the supply of raw materials and energy costs, will lead to a new growth trend in the following months.