Investments in cutting-edge technologies, targeted outsourcings and fruitful partnerships with foreign countries. This is the way to work in the sector of integrated systems. Carlo Linetti explains why. By Emanuela Caruso  A 7% increase in revenues and exports that account for 55% of the total annual turnover. These are the figures that Cobo Group, a company specialised in the design, development and supply of global solutions and integrated systems, reached at the end of 2013 and that will be the base to face the second half of 2014. As engineer Carlo Linetti, marketing commercial director of the company, states «the consolidated turnover of the group is around € 200 millions and at the end of this year we will surely be able to draw a positive and growing trend of our business. Such a relevant result is due to the various subsidiaries, each of which is structured according to the type of product. Currently, we are present in more than 60 countries around the world, and during the crisis years in the Italian and European markets, there were these foreign countries which helped us grow and continue working with at remarkable pace.
Among the foreign countries, the United States is our main market. We also export extensively to South America- mainly Brazil-, Korea, Turkey and the Far East, China in particular. However, we have to highlight that Italy is still an essential market for us». Cobo Group, taking into account its field of operation, have always invested in research and development. «Our core market is not the automobile industry in general since we focus on off-road vehicles, that is agricultural machinery, earth-moving machinery, industrial vehicles and forklift trucks. We also have an automotive division that supplies the motorcycle market developing products and cutting-edge technologies. Our basic strategy is to transfer the revenue from simple products to highly technological products. The technical know-how and our expertise help us to keep pace with the times and sometimes to be a step forward. Today, we are investing in modern technologies in the field of optics and electronics».  For the medium-long term, Cobo Group expects to see that many companies of the sector return to Italy. «The wild outsourcing trend will not last long. If you want to work with quality and true professionalism, the costs will be independent from the place of manufacture. We are seeing that many companies are gradually returning to Italy and this is what we also expect to promote, though we already know that some targeted outsourcing will do it by force.
We are talking about areas such as India, where agricultural machinery is very different from ours and where we will be forced to place a production and support pole to be able to maintain our market share and the business relationships with Indian customers».
Fully Integrated System
 The main purpose of Cobo Group, made up by Cobo S.p.A (Cobo, MT Division, 3B6 Division, Unideck Division), Cobo International, Ciam S.p.A, Cobo International East Europe, Fc Electronic, Cobo China, Cobo Oceania, Cobo Deutschland and Cobo France, is to develop the concept of a fully integrated system. To do so, the Group has put forward a set of guidelines, pillars of the company philosophy. Every company belonging to the group must be leader in its sector through the extensive use of innovative technologies; market leadership must be guaranteed by top-quality products at competitive prices; customers must be offered a global solution that comprises technical, logistical and organisational aspects. And more: After-sales and the service in general must be taken care of in every aspect; an excellent consulting service on technical and business matters must be provided to customers.
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