Bright aluminium products
Interview with Tommaso Fiorentini, Vice President of Almeco
AluReport talks to ALMECO Vice President, Tommaso Fiorentini, about the market for bright aluminium products and how ALMECO has evolved from a company focused on the lighting industry to become a leading supplier of bright aluminium products for a wide range of applications.
AluReport: Good afternoon, Mr. Fiorentini. Thank you for joining us today. To start with, would you mind briefly introducing yourself and telling us a bit about your company?
TF: My name is Tommaso Fiorentini. I am the Vice President of the ALMECO Group and primarily responsible for the commercial side of the company. ALMECO specializes in the continuous chemical and physical treatment of aluminium surfaces (electro brightening, coloration, anodizing and Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD)). We produce solutions for our core markets: architecture, design, solar applications and lighting.
AluReport: But that wasn’t always the case, correct?
TF: That’s correct. Previously, our core business was in the lighting market with highly selective aluminium surfaces and reflectors, i.e. optical components for manufacturers of lighting fixtures. However, the use of aluminium in this sector is declining due to technological advances, the transition from traditional light sources to LEDs, and the use of alternative materials such as lenses and plastics. This is why Almeco is now investing in markets where coil anodized aluminium is highly valued for its unique aesthetic and durability properties, both for technical purposes such as lighting and solar applications, where our production processes allow us to achieve high reflectance rates of up to 98%, but also for unique finishes for the architectural and design markets.
AluReport: Speaking of the solar industry, given the importance of sustainability in today’s energy landscape, is there a particularly interesting or challenging project in this area that you would like to share with us?
TF: We have been operating in the solar market for many years. Our experience and expertise enabled us to secure a major project in Oman, where one of the largest concentrated solar power plants using parabolic trough technology has been realized. The product, which we developed with base material from AMAG, was notable for its unmatched specular reflectivity, as well as resistance to heat and UV. We were able to increase its service life to over 20 years, resulting in an excellent return on investment for the solar plant.
AluReport: Did the technologies used to manufacture these products incorporate any significant developments or innovations?
TF: To be honest, we have been using the same technology for more than 40 years. Surface homogeneity, very narrow color tolerance levels and good sealing properties are very important parameters that cannot be achieved without the kind of outstanding expertise and experience found in our company.
AluReport: What role does your relationship with your suppliers play in product development? Have there been any milestones in your joint product development with AMAG that still have an impact today?
TF: The launch of the “Bright” product on the lighting market was certainly one of the biggest and most important successes achieved by ALMECO and AMAG.My father and Helmut Wieser, who was then CEO of AMAG, were very supportive of the product. AMAG’s skill in developing bright, surface sensitive materials, combined with ALMECO’s experience in surface treatment, meant that the product was rapidly adopted by the lighting industry.
AluReport: AMAG has just invested in a new surface treatment line to ensure high product quality for the future. How does the quality of the raw materials you use affect your products, and what aspects are particularly important to you?
TF: As I mentioned earlier, ALMECO is increasingly focusing on a decorative market that is very receptive to this aspect. I believe that guaranteeing the highest possible aesthetic appeal is more important today than ever before in the history of our company.
AluReport: What future trends and developments do you anticipate in the various markets in which ALMECO operates today, and how is the company positioning itself to take the lead in this changing environment?
TF: I think that anodized aluminium is becoming more widely used and embraced by architecture and design studios. It is a very versatile product and new markets are constantly being discovered. We have invested in two anodizing lines in the last five years, so that we now have four anodizing lines and one PVD line. We have also invested in a coating line, which will go into operation before the beginning of the summer. These investments complete the range that ALMECO intends to bring to the market as a specialist in the field of metal surface treatment.
