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Forrec interviews the partner who has been following the company's presence in the Chilean market for some time now, and which is going to develop projects in other territories in South America.
Mirko Franceschi is the owner and sales manager of the SMF Servicios Limitada company together with the partner and technical manager Mr. Cesar San Martin. The interview is to Mr. Franceschi, Italian origin who has been transplanted for many years in Chile, who coordinates the business activities, moves throughout Chilean territory but also in neighbouring areas such as Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.
The collaboration with Forrec Sales Executive, Fabrizio Caon, is very active, so much so that the simple commercial collaboration has evolved, in a short time, in a 360-degree collaboration involving also the whole technical part of design and after-sales assistance.
How long have you been part of the Forrec Network? And how did the relationship between your agency and Forrec develop?
I met Forrec about 2 years ago, when the company was looking for collaborators to better explore the Chilean market. I had the opportunity to meet Fabrizio through a company with which I work, and we immediately created connection, so, after a phase of study of the market we realized that the country was ready for the technology proposed by Forrec and the land had interesting contacts. The first sale, to an important group involved in the special hazardous industrial waste sector, immediately materialized.
How is the treatment and recycling of waste in Chile? From a government point of view, how is waste management set in Chile?
It must be said that Chile is one of the most advanced Countries in South America, already in view of a more organized management of waste, this is the main reason why Forrec has immediately found space for its technologies. Here the separate collection is still in an initial phase and for the moment only applied to some centres; the landfills are there, and the waste is conveyed by trains, just to give a measure of the quantities. Santiago de Chile, the capital, has more than 6.5 million inhabitants while the whole of Chile has about 18 million inhabitants, this confirms the need for proper waste management, especially in the most important urban centres.
SMF Servicios Limitada: how is it born and what role does it cover?
SMF arises from a new need of the market to acquire European technology to solve problems related to waste treatment, but it comes mainly from my professional experience and from a previous Spanish experience in the same area that gave me the appropriate preparation to respond precisely to the requests for this country
What were the main changes that have influenced waste management in recent years in Chile? How have Forrec systems been able to respond to changes in recent years and which types of systems are most in demand?
Recently, the Producers Responsibility Law, known as the REP, has been approved, and without a doubt has made us jump forward as a country. We will have to achieve goals over the next few years and for this we have prepared ourselves and are ready to support the potential needs of technological solutions that FORREC has. It must be remembered that the state of Chile has a very large territory and this has allowed that in the past the refusal was simply dumped into desert areas. An example of this type of solution comes from the mines, located mainly in the northern part of Chile, where special OTR tires have been stored for years. The greater sensitivity of the government towards the environmental impact that this type of waste can have, has led to the need to correctly manage the disposal of these special tires of about 4 m in diameter and 4-5 tons of weight. SMF and Forrec responded promptly to this request and we were able to provide a treatment and recycling solution that allows us to produce second raw material for use in industrial applications.
The change then started from a greater focus on the impact that special waste can have on the environment and on the importance of valorisation.
The most requested plants therefore concern the treatment of tires, hazardous waste, solid urban waste, plastics, but there are projects for WEEE and for industrial waste in general.
What are the characteristics of Forrec machines and systems that customers appreciate most?
Forrec has proven to have an innovative and performing technology even with large quantities of waste, in addition, the company offers tailor-made systems that perfectly adapt to the needs of customers. The "made in Italy" and the European technology that accompanies it are fundamental and very appreciated elements in Chile, moreover Forrec has a great experience in the sector and is able to give a 360-degree advice. If we add that the official GUARANTEE is directly supported in the market, this generates a unique condition.
Which tools are used to communicate the values and characteristics of Forrec plants and realizations? Which initiatives have you activated for the development of your commercial network?
We are active members of an important Association of Category, AEPA (Asociacion de Empresas y Profesionales para el Medio Ambiente) and we never forget to publish and share news regarding the small and big goals on social media, in particular we are active on LinkedIn, but also on a platform of professionals, Mecalux Logismarket, in which I shared the products of Forrec and I use to periodically update, from this channel good contacts in the sector come. We are also advertisers in a magazine specializing in environmental issues, Induambiente. Since 2015 we have been present as exhibitors at the biennial fairs: AMBIENTAL 2015, FITGA 2017 and we will attend the next show FIMAS 2019, in Santiago in September.
How would you judge the experience up to now with the Forrec staff active in the different areas?
In addition to the good cooperation with Fabrizio Caon, who follows us from the commercial point of view with precision and attention, the support and assistance given by the Forrec technical office was very important, which allowed us to train our staff. The first references in Chile have also made it possible to learn the correct management of machines and systems thanks to the training of Forrec personnel. The opportunity to communicate in Italian certainly facilitates the passage of information and our office has dealt with translating into Spanish all the necessary documentation for the presentation of the company and its products. The experience is good and the results are showing great perspectives.
How was the year 2018 and what are the company prospects for the future?
2018 was the year that saw the first sales, which are also the showcase for Forrec in Chile, was the year of the concretization of the efforts done previously and was also the year in which this country entered contact with the reality of Forrec. Hidronor, the company's first customer in Chile, has already confirmed an upgrade of the plant with safety-related technologies, scheduled for delivery in 2019 and there are important outstanding projects for the treatment of tires, municipal and hazardous solid waste.
2019 was also the year of the transfer of our headquarters in an industrial area of Santiago in a well-located area, in addition to the commercial offices, here we have created areas dedicated to maintenance with a workshop managed by our staff for the on-site assistance of FORREC machines and also of other brands, providing maintenance in addition to repairs and reconditioning of the wearing parts of the machines (knives), this service make us known to other potential future customers as a STRATEGIC PARTNER that supports 360-degree and above all directly, with staff and own structure.
The 2019 looks very promising, we will continue our marketing action in the Chilean territory, and we hope to have the first results also from the neighbouring countries (Peru and Bolivia), the projects are concrete and the interest is very high.