Excellence in Efficiency

Saleri person working
Operational Excellence

The Transformation Process of the Saleri Group

Saleri is a leading company in the design, development, and production of water pumps and cooling systems for the automobile industry. Research and development, flexibility of the technical solutions, and continuous updating of the quality standards are the distinguishing characteristics of the “Salieri method” and the added value of the product range.

Cooperation with the best-known automobile manufacturers, such as BMW, AUDI, DAIMLER MERCEDES, FCA, FERRARI, GM, and ASTON MARTIN, speak for the quality of Salieri’s products.

At the beginning of 2000, the company stepped over continental boundaries for the first time with the opening of an office in China. Most recently, another location was opened in Mexico, and in 2021, one in India. Saleri is striving for sales of more than EUR 200 million, of which 80% goes to original equipment manufacturers and 20% to the spare parts market.

We met with Paolo Tanfoglio, Chief Operations Officer of Industrie Saleri Italo S.p.A.

saleri factory
Portrait Paolo Tanfoglio

Paolo Tanfoglio

Chief Operations Officer

Industrie Saleri Italo S.p.A

Mr. Tanfoglio, Saleri has been involved in the hydraulic cooling systems sector for 80 years, a period in which enormous investments have been made in research and development. What is your strategy in these areas?

Our company produces its products intentionally in order to fulfill customers’ needs as well as possible. That’s why the research and development departments are the heart of the company: this is where the ideas arise. Over the years, we have invested a lot in this area, for product innovations are what allow us to play a special role on the automobile market. While in the beginning we only made individual products, today our competencies include producing a complete engine cooling system. Over the years we also created a department that focuses on electrification and heat management.

How does the cooperation with Staufen fit in with this path? What were the individual stages and what will the next steps be?

When we recognized the innovation in our strategy, it became clear to us that we must not only design outstanding products but manufacture them too. From this came the goal of setting in motion a Lean Transformation in order to be innovative with regard to production processes too, and thus be able to offer the customer complete service.

Our cooperation with Staufen began in 2019 with three milestones: The first was to consider what organization is most suitable for the concept of operative and service-related excellence. The second milestone was to define the best instruments to achieve our goal. The third was to make the project into an active item for our resources, for the focus of the Lean Transformation is the people. In the end, the transformation project brought us tangible results on the KPI level. To name just a few: We increased the efficiency of our systems by 20%, we reduced non-conformity with our customers by 60%, and therefore created a more reliable, safer product – and we also improved our delivery capacities.


When we recognized the innovation in our strategy, it became clear to us that we must not only design outstanding products but manufacture them too.

PAOLO TANFOGLIO
Chief Operations Officer, Industrie Saleri Italo S.p.A.

How did your employees react to these changes?

We succeeded in making it clear to our long-time employees that this project will improve our daily work. There was teamwork on all levels, and both we managers as well as the Staufen consultants were focused on satisfying our employees’ needs. The leadership mechanism contributed a lot to revealing that we could really improve working conditions for everyone.

Let’s turn to sustainability policy: In which direction are you moving and what results have you already achieved?

We are following all developments in the automobile sector very precisely and also deriving our next goals from this. One of our primary topics is conserving environmental resources.

We are trying to make this clear to people – for they are the focal point of the transformation process – that efficiency improves our environmental performance. We believe firmly in this sustainability plan

Do you also use the methods of lean and Shop Floor Management for the control of your performance and sustainability goals?

Yes, when you start down this path, it changes the entire corporate culture. There’s no going back. For us, the culture change is already making itself felt in our word choices: For example, we don’t use the term “problem” anymore. Instead, we speak of deviation, which is a term that points to a dynamic concept.

Sustainability is not just an environmental topic, it also has social aspects, other areas. Do you have plans for these?

We are active in the area around Brescia, in Lumezzane, and we are very connected to this area; we belong to it. That’s why we interact with all organizations that support the community. Furthermore, we also support our customers proactively in their sustainability process by being a technological and innovative sparring partner for them.

One more question. When you look into the future, what do you think still needs to be improved?

There’s not a lot left to do in order to achieve an absolute leadership position on our market; that’s the goal and our claim. I personally would wish that the company would be an example for future generations, who could identify with its innovative spirit and sense of responsibility. We want to be a company that offers opportunities and has strong values, the center of which is respect for people and the environment.

The company

Saleri is a leading company in the design, development, and production of water pumps and cooling systems for the automobile industry. Research and development, flexibility of the technical solutions, and continuous updating of the quality standards are the distinguishing characteristics of the “Salieri method” and the added value of the product range.

1942

Established

600

employees around the world

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Excellence in Efficiency

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