Baerlocher Italia is one of the companies that have been part of the group from the very start. Future-proof and crisis-tested, Lodi is looking for a new decisive role in the next century of Baerlocher’s history. Its experience, its infrastructure and its extraordinary creative drive make Baerlocher Italia an important member of the group.
Italien
New beginnings
In early 2020, the Corona pandemic hit the region around Lodi in Northern Italy hard. Pictures of the situation went around the world. Baerlocher Italia, too, is located in Lodi. It was not an easy time, either in human or business terms. But the staff showed how to keep their heads above water in times of crisis: "We were successful and never stopped working. We gave an example to the other entities. We were careful to respect each other and our families. Our business improved with the pandemic. We showed that we are reliable," says Managing Director Paolo Massa, not without pride. Italians are solution-oriented. The signs have long since been pointing to a new beginning. The drastic decline in the production of liquid stabilisers in the years before the pandemic has long since been compensated for. Massa sees Baerlocher Italia on the path back to its roots: "We produced solid products before and here we are ... We have the skills and the plant."
Joint values
Massa has been with Baerlocher for almost two decades. In July 2004, when looking for a new employer, he came across Baerlocher Italia in Lodi, where almost 46,000 people live. He was immediately hooked. "It was an international group owned by a real shareholder, which was very important to me." The decisive factor for Massa were the dedicated employees in the small factory: "You know all the people here. We are located 30 km from Milan in an agricultural area, but we really feel as part of an international group." This becomes also evident at the General Meetings that take place every two years: "You meet with managers and executives from the other countries. You realise that, although our English pronunciation might be different, or we might look different, we are all talking the same language after all. Because we share the same values.”
In 1980, Baerlocher acquired 75 percent of COMMER SpA. which had been producing high-quality liquid mixed metals, tin stabilisers and other additives since the end of the 1950s. It was later renamed BAERLOCHER ITALIA S.p.A.. The aim of the takeover, skillfully initiated by Dr Michael Rosenthal, was primarily to gain expertise for the production of tin stabilisers. As a result of the constant growth due to the ever-expanding range of high-performance additives, a modern application technology laboratory was built in Lodi in 1988. In 1992, liquid mixed metal production was completely relocated from Germany to Italy, marking a milestone. In the same year, Lodi became the centre of competence for rigid packaging films and calendered plastisols within the group.
Synonymous with success and quality
Lodi had the expertise for the tin business, but not the key raw materials needed for production. So at the beginning of the 1990s Michael Rosenthal came up with the idea of merging the tin division with a company that would fill this gap. This cooperation partner of choice was Ciba Spezialitäten AG, which had the technical know-how to produce key raw materials such as antioxidants and phosphites. Ciba also held patents for the combined application of these raw materials, while Baerlocher provided the expertise for compounding the mixtures. Subsequently, this successful cooperation was also extended to include joint ventures in South America. Finally, the tin business was spun off from Baerlocher Italia into Comtin (Commer and Tin), with the proviso of a buy-back right. Fortunately, so, as this decision could later be reversed in favor of Baerlocher Italia, when concentration, rationalisation and reorganisation became necessary. However, thanks to targeted measures to save and reduce costs, the expansion of business in Europe and already very good export figures, the site was able to get back on its feet under its own steam. In particular, the contacts to Asia in the area of liquid mixed metals played an important role in this.
Lodi has thus long been one of the most important sites for Baerlocher's internationalisation. In addition to the investment in the South American companies, the construction and business of Baerlocher India was also co-orchestrated from Italy. With a lot of ingenuity, the team managed to leverage crises and challenges for further development, because Lodi was, is and remains important for Baerlocher: "Even though the production of solids has been relocated to Germany, the responsibility for the quality remains in Lodi. There is an interesting network of cooperation," says Paolo Massa. Because with a view to customers and partners, Massa is sure: "A perfect match comes from a very open approach to one another.”
