Manufacturing in Italy — and how to communicate it: interview with Enrico Garino, CMO of Prima Power

The contribution of Prima Power is one of those things that’s not always obvious, yet widely felt — something you often encounter when working in B2B industrial sectors, that is, businesses that don’t sell products directly to the public, but provide machines, solutions, or components to other companies, which then use them to create their final products.

Specifically, Prima Power develops machinery for sheet metal working, covering what is defined as “sheet metal manufacturing” — and there isn’t a sector, from aerospace to household goods, where sheet metal (whether perforated, bent, or profiled) isn’t present. The company’s headquarters are near Turin, but the brand is truly global, with production facilities in Italy, Finland, the United States, and China.

Together with the team of Enrico Garino, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Bellissimo led a deep dive into Prima Power’s brand strategy that you can retrace here, renewing the brand’s communication positioning and establishing guidelines for future activities. To provide context and enrich the story, we spoke with Enrico about the challenges of his sector and B2B communication.

Enrico, how is business right now for an industrial company like yours?

We’re in a rapidly evolving context, where making 2–3 year predictions is really difficult. Our sector is mature, and clients tend to replace their old machinery with more efficient systems. On the technology side, the two main investment trends are automation and software.

And what about the competition?

It’s fierce. We’ve seen companies from countries with high production capacities enter the market, often with very aggressive offers and pricing. Here too, the areas where we can differentiate ourselves are automation, software, and, of course, the service we provide to our clients. It’s similar in automotive: the sector suffers from “overcapacity,” where production exceeds demand

Prima Power’s headquarters are in Italy. What are the benefits of producing here?

Italy gives you access to know-how. We have an existing industrial culture, highly skilled people, and excellent suppliers. This is what it means to do business in Italy. Of course, the widespread supply chain can create pricing pressures compared to more integrated value chains. But the Italian system still offers advantages.

And in terms of image? How is Italian technology perceived?

If luxury is Made in Italy, machinery is typically Made in Germany, and for us, the strongest competitor is German. But there are no image problems; on the contrary, we are capable of producing industrial machines in Italy— and doing it well. Made in Italy is still a strong brand.

Let’s talk about how B2B communication is changing. What advice would you give to other CMOs?

For me, the trend is to focus on values that are real, where the company can genuinely recognize itself, that are truthful. A generic tone of voice no longer works, even in B2B. It’s a positive trend, and in Prima Power, we are ahead in this regard.

We worked together on redefining Prima Power’s communication positioning, presenting the company’s value proposition more distinctively. What did you appreciate about the process with Bellissimo?

Personally, I appreciated the analytical approach — it even surprised me. You went straight to the essence, and after processing a huge amount of input, you distilled everything down to a focused synthesis that truly represents us.

The new brand tagline, “Evolve by Integration,” has been in use for a few months. It’s early, but… any feedback so far?

Now the communication is much clearer and more straightforward. I find it easier for our colleagues to understand how we communicate. It sounds simple, but it’s not a given. Even in their posts, or when speaking with clients, new key terms are starting to emerge — we’re developing a shared vocabulary. When even people who aren’t close to the project explain things the way you would, it’s very gratifying.

About this point, we also gathered a final comment from Simona Di Giovanni, Brand Marketing Communication, who coordinated the project as the client’s main point of contact.

Do you also see the added value of the project in the clarity and synthesis achieved?

I agree with Enrico. After all the analysis and interviews, you arrived at a brand proposition that is very forward-looking while still reflecting our roots. When we need to communicate new developments, we can always present them within a framework that’s consistent with the past. It’s a kind of “acid test” that confirms the positioning is right and aligns well with our growth pillars. From an operational point of view, it works very well.

Published: Sep 23, 2024