Dellas is an Italian company that has been working alongside the stone industry since 1973. The company has achieved a leading position in the international market for the production and marketing of diamond tools for marble, granite, agglomerate and ceramic processing.
Interview with Davide Veronesi, Export Area Manager at Dellas spa.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Davide Veronesi: Our company offers a wide range of diamond tools and ancillary services to meet the needs of two different industries, stone and ceramic. Therefore, we are structured into two divisions: the more historical business unit, which caters to the natural stone world, and the more modern business unit, which caters to the ceramic tile world.
We are organized into 7 departments that can meet the needs of every type of business, from the artisan workshop to large-scale industry.
Our production plant is located in Verona (Italy). Here we produce all the tools that we then market and distribute all over the world, thanks to the support of dealers and agents able to give timely assistance, guaranteeing local competitive costs.
We have an in-house analysis center that studies all types of materials. Through it we are able to know the composition of the raw material and its technical and mechanical characteristics. This allows us to operate as true consultants, as we do not just create products, but share our knowledge to install the best tool to the type of machining and machinery used by the individual customer.
We therefore accompany entrepreneurs and professionals in choosing the most suitable tool for working with marble, granite, natural quartz, agglomerates, as well as all those new technological materials on the market intended for furniture, such as ultracompacts.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
D.V: Right now, we are working on streamlining production processes to achieve higher and higher quality standards.
The exponential increase in the quantities produced requires us to work with an integrated and optimized approach between the various production steps, with the aim of maintaining constant product quality and making delivery times faster and faster.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
D.V: Each division has developed 5 product families, which meet the specific needs of the sector they go to serve.
The natural stone product range covers all stages of the supply chain, from quarrying to the finished product intended for furniture. Thanks to our streamlined structure we supply both the small craftsman and the large enterprise.
Products intended for this sector are represented by: discs, blades and cutting wire, polishing and honing tools, and tools for CNC machines.
The range of products for ceramic tile production cover every stage, and are represented by tools for squaring, lapping, treating, cutting, and profiling.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
D.V: Diamond tools right now are highly sought after, and specifically those that fulfill nascent market needs. The speed with which people inform and move is the lever that has pushed companies to adapt to change. In this way what we are observing is the introduction of technological processes applied to individual businesses. Increasingly, these parameters are being valued: speed, updating, reducing costs and errors.
We have been responding to this change for several years:
- we have introduced 3D printing for prototyping new products (this has enabled us to achieve a high level of product customization and a reduction in costs associated with testing and trials before machine start-up);
- with lasting, forward-looking partnerships, we are developing machinery that will help human resources work better, safely, and in a stimulating environment;
- even more optimized management control to evaluate performance and go, accordingly, to act on specific cost centers;
- the adoption of the ISO 14001 standard, which commits us, on a voluntary basis, to sustainable development standards in relation to the surrounding environment, the society in which we are located and the economy we support.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
D.V: The market right now is looking for technologically advanced solutions that can adapt to the customized needs of companies. We, thanks to the experience gained in more than 50 years of activity, streamlined structure and extensive network developed through years of relationships, are able to solve the needs of both small artisan workshops and large ceramic manufacturing plants in a customized way.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
D.V: Thanks to innovative technologies, we have developed and improved several products in both divisions in recent years. The list is very long, so I will focus on those that best meet the specific needs of each division.
In the natural stone division, we have designed and created a cutting disc that does not contain metal powders, but rather a resinoid binder. This enables companies using it to achieve a twofold advantage: an unmatched finish of ultra-compact materials, compared with any other type of metal-based binder, and the total elimination of background noise.
In the ceramics department, on the other hand, we have worked to create environmentally sustainable grinding wheels, as we use alternative metals that allow the reuse of waste dust, particularly in the dry squaring process. This allows the companies that use them to recover and recycle the waste by reintroducing it back into the production cycle in an optimal way.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
D.V: Considering that the close of the year is approaching, more than forecasts we can talk about data. 2023 was a difficult year due to the climate of uncertainty around the world. Nevertheless, thanks to customer loyalty we managed to close in the best possible way and we are very satisfied. This reassures us and makes us think that it will be an extraordinary 2024.