SFE SERVICES FOR ENGINEERING is an Engineering company, part of the SFRE Group, founded in Milan in 2018 by Nicola Salis and Filippo Salis to take a firm stance in the Fire Safety market. The team boasts twenty years of experience and is currently composed of a group of twenty Fire Safety Engineers. The company operates throughout the national territory, with its main headquarters in Milan and branches in Rome and Bologna.
Their core business is Fire Safety Design within the Real Estate Logistics sector. The skills acquired over the years in all three design phases – Preliminary, Definitive, and Executive – have led the company to master a tailor-made approach to the customer by including its design criteria and specifications.
Ultimately, SFE’s task is to drive the customer, throughout the necessary process to start any type of activity in compliance with current fire prevention regulations.
Interview with Nicola Salis, CEO & Founder & Giacomo Negro, Chief Operating Officer at SFE SERVICES FOR ENGINEERING.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Nicola Salis & Giacomo Negro: SFE operates in several sectors such as logistic and light-industry, besides the Real Estate market, providing the customer with various services in tertiary and retail fields. The Company aims to provide a wide range of services in Fire Prevention projects management, by interacting with the
client on one hand and the authorities (Fire Brigade Department, Insurance Company) on the other hand, to guarantee a high level of safety standards that properties and personnel demand.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
N.S & G.N: Over the years, SFE has broadened the range of services offered, considering the competitive market in which we operate. In light of this, one of the innovative approaches that is worth
mentioning is the use CFD Fire Modelling, as an engineering method which encourage the adoption of a flexible and efficient solution, maintaining a high level of safety. Another noteworthy
innovation adopted by SFE is the application of the Building Information Modelling (BIM) method in the design phase, through which it is possible to coordinate the project digitally from inception to its completion, while reducing costs.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
N.S & G.N: The company offers its services throughout the country and by establishing a synergistic and collaborative relationship with the provincial Fire Departments. Furthermore, SFE has recently opened up to foreign markets through some consultancy services.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
N.S & G.N: The logistics market, especially in the last 5 years, has been under the spotlight to such an extent as to attract the interest of a large number of foreign investors who intend to provide capital for areas considered in functional and strategic locations, such as highways and metropolis.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
N.S & G.N: The logistics sector has undergone a significant evolution driven by the constant growth of e- commerce and the increasing attention given to sustainability criteria. With regards to the first point, there has been a major shift in the type of properties required: no longer outdated
warehouses, but highly automated warehouses internally designed to streamline the storage and handling of goods. Secondly, it is expected sustainability will become more predominant in all phases of the project – preliminary, definitive and execution. SFE pursues its objectives responsibly through the active involvement of the Sustainability department with which every design choice is defined and agreed upon. The aim of this partnership is to ensure that fire protection design is an integral part of a broader design concept that respects international sustainability protocols, such as LEED and BREEAM.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
N.S & G.N: The continuous growth of e-commerce leads us to consider complex automation systems to be implemented in our projects in order to meet the new needs of speed and flexibility, imposed by the current market. In addition to that, for specific industries and customer needs, we also provide tailored services such as the documentation for the authorization to use toxic gases in the industrial process, like ammonia as refrigerant for cold storage of food products.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
N.S & G.N: The scenarios for 2023 follow the demand of new warehouses designed for the last-mile delivery, in light of the ever-growing importance of e-commerce- and urban redevelopment projects of brownfield areas, with the aim of minimizing land consumption – ready to host sustainable, flexible, and omnichannel logistic hubs.