The growth of Cefla Engineering (formerly Cefla Plant Solutions) contributed significantly to the Cefla Group’s positive performance in 2018, represented by Group turnover in excess of 560 million euro, and a positive balance of 21 million euro. A growth trend that continues for Cefla (in 2017 the balance was 13 million euro). Net income was up 8.1% at 30 million euro. Consolidated EBITDA totalled 50 million euro.

The Board of Directors is reconfirmed

Cefla’s Shareholders’ Meeting, after approving the 2018 Financial Statements, confirmed the entire Board of Directors for the next three-year period, 2019-2021. It also confirmed Gianmaria Balducci as Chairman, and Claudio Fedrigo as Vice Chairman “The Board of Directors would like to thank the shareholders and all of our colleagues within the Cefla Group who, through their daily work, have made it possible to translate the strategies of the managerial group and the guidelines of the Board of Directors into numbers,” declared the Chairman, Gianmaria Balducci.

The investments and values to meet global challenges

Overall, 47% of Cefla’s income was generated in Italy, 30% in other European countries, and 23% in the rest of the world. Despite global macroeconomic uncertainty, Cefla invested over 30 million euro, all self-financed, with each Business Unit acquiring a number of important orders, and through the reorganisation of company processes designed to better meet present and future challenges.

“Over the coming years” – the Chairman Balducci continued – “Cefla will continue to be able to count on the company’s distinguishing values, which have guided the company since 1932. These values drive us on in our constant striving for improvement, in our incessant pursuit of value creation, and are consistent with our mission to improve people’s lives”.

Cefla Plant Solutions’ new Technical-Administrative Office opened on 19 March 2018 in Sesto Calende (Varese), in Via XX Settembre 53, to meet the operative needs of the Business Line Service – “Global Service” for the client Leonardo.

Leonardo is an Italian leader in the sector of Defence, Safety and Aerospace technologies. Global Service is a contractual model based on solid partnership with the Client for maintenance services, management and revamping of industrial technological plants, production systems and machines.

Cefla considers the client Leonardo an important opportunity both in terms of portfolio and to enrich corporate experiences in the Services business. The service is organised and provided by a team of over 80 colleagues (including managers, technicians and operators), who possess the profiles and technical skills required to organise the projects. Situated in the 8 main operative branches, precisely in the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto-Friuli, they are coordinated by the Contract Manager Gianluca Ronga.

“Cefla’s important decision, which entails the deep commitment of the Business Unit and Service Administration, responds to the strong corporate need to improve and consolidate relations with the Client, to consolidate Cefla’s position in Italy, and to coordinate and make the most of the relationship between colleagues from the various operative branches — and technical staff assigned to perform these projects — and colleagues from the Imola headquarters, who daily support the work of external construction yards”, says Gianluca Ronga, Contract Manager for this project.

Leonardo’s main centres and production facilities, assisted by the service of Cefla Plant Solutions based in Sesto Calende, are situated in Torino Caselle and Torino Corso Francia, in Piedmont; in Sesto Calende, Vergiate and Cascina Costa (municipality of Samarate) in the Varese hinterland and Nerviano (Milan), in Lombardy; in Tessera (Venice), in Veneto; and in Ronchi dei Legionari (Gorizia), in Friuli. “Sesto Calende is centrally located with respect to the main facilities in Piedmont and Lombardy, which are all situated at a distance of 1h approximately, and it can be easily reached by train from our Imola headquarters. Convenient logistics make a distant construction yard in the suburbs that is crucial for Cefla easily accessible”, says Gianluca.

The office in Sesto will be the headquarters for the projects and, besides performing managerial and representative functions, it will be the company Leonardo’s centre for technical and managerial Governance.

Cefla’s lay-out style – the new format

The new office in Sesto Calende has been designed with the same furnishings and architectural concept as the Cefla format. The architectural layout is centred on the conference hall, the venue for meetings, coordination and discussions on Cefla’s ideas, values and standards.

About Leonardo Spa

Leonardo, former Finmeccanica, is an Italian company that operates in the defence, aerospace and safety sectors. The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance is its main shareholder with about 30% of shares. The company has seven divisions, namely Helicopters; Aircrafts; Aerostructures; Avionic and Space Systems; Land and Sea Defence Electronics; Defence Systems. Recording a turnover of more than 12 billion euro in 2016, Leonardo counts over 45,600 employees, 1,400 of whom work for the Research and Development Department. Considering offices and industrial settlements, Leonardo Spa is present in 180 sites worldwide, with an important industrial presence on four domestic markets (Italy, United Kingdom, USA and Poland). For additional information, visit the website www.leonardocompany.com.

Modernisation of the Acea cogeneration plant at Tor di Valle (Rome) – implemented by a consortium specially created by Cefla and General Electric – has been completed ahead of schedule. The thermal energy produced by the power plant will be conveyed into district heating systems serving some 40,000 local residents, while the electricity it produces will power the waste water treatment plant or be fed into the grid.

The new Acea district heating power plant features two J920 FleXtra cogeneration units and three auxiliary boilers (with relative systems) supplied by GE and installed by Cefla Plant Solutions. The latter developed all the engineering aspects of the site, handling management of the project, provisioning and civil works infrastructures. The engines will produce 19 MW of electrical power and about 16 MW of thermal power, ensuring an efficiency of over 80%. The three auxiliary gas-fired boilers produce 70 MW of thermal power to ensure coverage during peak demand. Installation of the two high-efficiency J920 FleXtra CHP (combined heat and power) solutions will allow the plant to cut CO2 emissions by 16,000 tons.

Cefla and General Electric will continue their teamwork with Acea by supplying long-term assistance for the smooth running of the two cogeneration engines. They’ll also aid the balancing out the energy supply by incorporating a thermal energy build-up and recovery system; this will ensure a continuous supply of heat without having to run the engines during periods of low consumption or when enough electricity is already available from renewable sources.

All the key building systems at F.I.CO. (Fabbrica italiana contadina) – the world’s largest ‘agri-food park’, which opened in Bologna on 15th November 2017 – carry the Cefla name.

Cefla has designed and completed “turnkey” mechanical solutions for the air conditioning, plumbing, drainage and industrial water supply systems; it has also provided general electrical power and lighting systems plus special safety systems. Moreover, Cefla Plant Solutions has been entrusted with providing maintenance services for this facility, which aims to host six million visitors a year. The installed plants generate 6,000 kWe of electrical power, 6,000 kWt of heating power and 6,000 kWf of cooling power. Begun in the spring of 2015, the works were completed at the end of October 2017, in compliance with the demanding schedule.

In 2016 Cefla continued to go from strength to strength, achieving record-breaking total sales of 468 million euro; improved profitability boosted net profits to 17.5 million. Employment levels also rose, with workforce numbers touching 1900, an increase of some 200 over the last three years.

As President Gianmaria Balducci pointed out, this was the result of “unshakeable commitment to innovation and the sharing of know-how and research among our Business Units”. That same commitment has also allowed the long-standing Cefla Plant Solutions BU to confirm its solidity and strengthen its leadership position in the industry.