Foreign sales drive the HiRef Group's accounts, turnover over 132 million (+17%)

The turnover of the HiRef Group, which specialises in air conditioning and climate control solutions for industry, critical infrastructure, data centres and the service sector, is on the up. In 2025, revenues exceeded 132 million euros compared to 116.3 million euros in 2024 (+16.5%) with an export share of 63%. Analysing the figures of the various Group companies in detail, HiRef contributes 81.1 million and the subsidiaries Eneren another 8.7 million, HiDew 15.6 million, Tecnorefrigeration 7.9 million, Ecat 8.2 million, It.met 7.8 million, HiRef Engineering 1.9 million and Datadom 1.4 million. The latter specialises in the design, construction and management of prefabricated technological infrastructures.

For the current year, Alberto Salmistraro, HiRef's CEO, prefers not to talk about growth percentages, explaining: "The Group has an order portfolio of 75 million, of which 58 million is with Hiref, accounting for about 70% of its turnover. The 2025 results confirm the solidity of our industrial model and the Group's ability to grow in a balanced and continuous way," the CEO emphasises. "It is the result of a process built over time with targeted investments and continuous innovation. In a complex and rapidly changing economic context, we have chosen to strengthen our distinctive competencies, expand our offer and preside over strategic markets, always keeping sustainability, efficiency and quality at the centre by continuing to develop solutions for energy and digital transitions'.

2026 begins under the banner of internationalisation with the start-up of a site in India. "In a few days, the production site in Ahmedabad, in the Indian state of Gujarat, will be operational, with a plant that has a covered area of 3,200 square metres that will house three production lines that will be progressively activated between this year and the next two," Salmistraro continues. "It will also be the sales office where we will sell 'made in India' products and services for the local data centre market, which is very dynamic and full of opportunities. The goal for 2030 is to reach 8 million in revenues'.

Almost simultaneously, this pocket-sized multinational landed in the United States through distribution agreements with local partners, for the time being in five states: Texas, California, Virginia, Colorado and Washington. "In the States we will sell 'made in Italy' solutions,' emphasises the CEO. 'It is a strategic market and it is convenient to serve it from Italy because the economic level of the market allows it. Moreover, the situation is evolving with regard to tariffs. They have their impact, but the situation is not worrying because at an economic level the US is a market with great opportunities'. In other words, Salmistraro points to the States, whose data centre market is the most important in the world. Here Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta and Microsoft have invested billions of dollars in recent years to enhance the management of AI-related workloads. According to Bloomberg Economics, by 2030 Big Tech will globally invest up to USD 4 trillion in artificial intelligence infrastructure, of which more than 40 per cent will go to the US. On the subject of tariffs, however, Salmistraro points out that those in the US are lower than those in other markets in the Far East, but 'above all, the importance is much greater'. The Hiref Group has an international network with subsidiaries in Mexico, South Africa, India and Spain, as well as an established network of sales and service partners in Europe, Central and South America, Asia and Africa.