Voilàp at the double in Germany

The acquisition therefore strengthens Voilàp's global presence, expanding its leadership position in the supply of window and façade construction machinery, 'derivative' products that can be seen all over the world: iconic buildings such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, or the new Milan Trade Fair and Moma in New York have been constructed with the group's machinery.

Shopping is not a new route for a group that has grown over time through a systematic M& A strategy, making eight acquisitions in the last 10 years.

For Voilap in particular, this is not the first transaction in Germany: the purchase of Elumatec, a manufacturer of machinery for the processing of aluminium, PVC and steel profiles, which at the time was larger than the Italian buyer, dates back to 2016.

In 2024, Voilàp, which controls 12 brands from its headquarters in Soliera (Modena), developed 350 million in revenues, with over 1,600 people working in 13 production sites and more than 40 sales and service centres worldwide.

'Last year saw the slowdown of several markets,' Caiumi explains, 'including Germany and Italy. But even in times of uncertainty, such as the current one, one must prepare oneself for future growth by seizing existing opportunities, as we have done in this case'.

The strong point of the strategy is the integration of the digital and mechanical worlds, with the possibility of offering the market new products and services. From the 'simple' construction of machines, Voilàp's business has thus expanded into four new areas: the design of smart factories, intelligent factories with interconnected machines with big data management and predictive analysis; the creation of smart retail, i.e. points of sale equipped with screens and software to intercept and meet customers' needs when purchasing fixtures; smart advertising, systems of screens and software for indoor and outdoor communication; and smart building, with the supply of fixtures connected by sensors and IoT.

"The experimentation started in our retail shops will continue," explains Caiumi, "we already have 2,500-3,000 customers using our software and in the long run we believe that every retail shop will offer a virtual platform for product choice: we believe we are on the right track.

Voilàp, like the entire Italian manufacturing industry, is also beginning to face the knot of tariffs in the US market, a 'heavy' area worth 20% of the group's revenues.

'In part we can absorb a few points with our margins,' Caiumi explains, 'but progressively I believe that prices will rise, we have to try to recover some of these aggravations: for us this is a key market, with 60-70 million in revenues, which will rise further as a result of the German acquisition.