INTERVIEW TO ENRICO SOGA: “WE ARE DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE THINK DIFFERENT”
Here is the interview to the Soga Energy Team’s CEO on the top renowned yearly publication of the power generation industry.
«We think unconventionally. We like following alternative ways, strongly supported by our values. Such an attitude brings us to realize rotating electrical machines developed with an out-of-ordinary approach in mind».
Enrico Soga, CEO of the Soga Energy Team since 2010, leading the corporate event for the 50 years of the group 1966-2016
1) How would you describe Sincro and AgroWatt alternators?
«Sincro and AgroWatt are widely renowned brands of the Soga Energy Team in 80 countries. Our alternators and welders mean great performances and quality.
What makes us unique is our range: it is one of the widest in the entire power generation industry with over 280 models of alternators from 1 to 2,600 kVA, dedicated to industrial, construction, marine, oil&gas applications, welding, agriculture, telecoms and lighting towers.
We do focus on the variety of our models, with all the different versions made alongside customized executions. Offering a range like this gives OEMs an extraordinary choice, in many cases we become their sole supplier.
In addition, our alternators are among the most compact in the world: we launched the first compact models in 2003 (JB series) and shortly after, in 2005, brought out the SK160 supercompact industrial series.
This has been enewed over the years and has been confirmed as a long-seller much appreciated by our customers».
2) Your approach to the market: do you follow or drive the trends?
«We are always pioneers. We do not pursue the market: we choose it and create it. We act independently. We’re not interested in producing higher powered units, nor relying on quantities and numbers alone.
Since my father Lino Soga founded the company in 1966, we have worked on continuous innovation and testing with R&D, on the range diversification, as well as on strong personal relationships with customers.
Such an attitude makes us different and on this basis we have developed significant technical innovations, from the first pto generators to the welders hwith battery charger and jump-starter included, to the latest variable speed solutions, just to mention a few».
3) So, not just alternators for gen-sets…
«We are global specialists in rotating electrical machines: our overall offering is so wide as to exceed 650 models in our catalogues.
With the Soga division we manufacture electric motors, mostly in custom version, powering the braking systems on high-speed trains worldwide. An achievement which we are absolutely proud of, the result of years of technical commitment. Today, we are included amongst those companies who are the Suppliers of Excellence for the world’s most advanced trains.
With the Sogaenergies division (energy special projects) we are leaders in Italy in the production of direct-drive PMGs for wind turbines.
These outcomes arise from foresight, hard work and investment. We choose to head in the directions requiring sacrifice, with a high potential in the long-term and facing such challenges with passion, rather than aim for short-term goals».
4) As an industrial group with strong values and a family-driven ethos, is it possible to remain true to yourself in the current market?
«The Soga Energy Team is a group made of 3 companies (Soga SpA and CMZ Sistemi Elettronici in Italy, and Sincro doo in Croatia), 6 plants and a direct staff of 300 people plus the indirect employees: men and women that every day make my family’s entrepreneurial project a reality.
We have a business model heavily centred on our values, on which we have built our company. Our focus is the quality of our presence in the market.
OEMs who choose the Soga Energy Team are aware that they can get far more from us than our rotating electrical machines. With us, they can count on a flexible team ready to support them in every need, whether it is dealing with the co-creation of a new product, its production or any after-sale issues.
Our internal organization reveals ideal encouraging direct and fast decision-making processes, where relationships are based on the importance of the people.
My family and I hold the top roles in the group, and the other key roles are given to trustworthy managers and collaborators. This mix of skills triggers continuous improvement within our company».
5) Your production is Made in Europe. Why have you not relocated out of the EU?
«We have never relocated in other continents. We remain concentrated in Italy (up to frame size 160mm) and in Croatia (up to frame 710mm).
We define ourselves as Pure European Manufacturers, because we believe that producing as close as possible to our R&D center is a big plus.
Flexibility and control – deriving from such a decision – allow us to achieve the best products, also in special versions, ensuring the highest quality for the supply chain. Moreover, we manage all stages of production directly, supported by top technology facilities and equipment, in which we invest constantly».
6) Future directions: how far do you aim to get?
«Our vision is clear. We’ll keep following alternative ways, whilst maintaining our values, to build up more and more our market positioning as protagonists within industries demanding rotating electrical machines designed with a different approach, innovative because unconventional.
Our will and passion are stronger than ever. Being innovators means to dare to act upstream, to always meet the market with new answers».
