Froma: goals achieved in 2022 and expectations for 2023

Froma designs and manufactures welding and bending machines for the production of wire meshes, gratings, frames, etc. Based in Valmadrera (Lecco - North Italy) and with over 50 years of experience in the sector, the company is now led by the three daughters of its founder, Riccardo Frigerio. We asked Gaia Frigerio (Froma's C.E.O.) for an account of 2022 in terms of goals achieved, energy cost increases, and expectations for this 2023.

Let's start by taking stock of this 2022, how did it go for your company?
We are slowly catching up with our pre-covid pace, however, we have noticed that for our customers' customers (i.e., the big names in the household electrical appliances industry, such as Bosch, Miele, Electrolux to name a few) it’s hard to plan production in advance for the next 2-3 years, which directly impacts the investments for 2023.

What was the most important goal you achieved last year?
The limitations due to the pandemic seem far away, and yet about a year ago we were still living in uncertainty. The goal that we are most satisfied with was being able to travel and meet with customers and suppliers.

Have you noticed more demand for certain products or from certain markets compared to the previous year?
Undoubtedly, mostly coming from the U.S., a country on which we will keep our eye this year as well.

How has the rise in energy costs impacted your business?
The increase in energy costs and also in raw materials and marketing prices led us to raise our own prices by 12% at the end of last summer. This is not easy for customers to accept, but they have understood the situation since they are experiencing it too, to a certain extent.

Did you have to apply price increases on your products? And to what extent?
We also comprehend the fact that our suppliers had to adjust to the cost increase, however, we believe these price to be overly inflated and difficult to justify, especially when they come from larger suppliers or on products by more international and larger brands. Extremely long lead times are also another sore point to deal with.

What are your expectations or hopes for 2023?
I would like to hope 2023 will bring many positive changes, but I also want to keep my feet on the ground: I hope for at least a stabilization of inflation by the second quarter of the year. In our small way, however, we’ll work hard to further develop the service and after-sales department, as well as to strengthen our presence in the U.S.

The Froma team wishes expometals.net readers all the best for 2023. For more information about the automatic welding and bending lines designed by the company, you are invited to contact Froma via the references at the side.