
«Wir haben einige harte Steinsplitter und Holzstücke gegen die Frontscheibe bekommen. Kein Problem!»
For us at Hammerglass, it's important to visit our end customers to see how our products contribute to their better everyday working lives. So when we finally had the opportunity to visit Alfeo De Franceschi's small Italian family business, together with local Hitachi dealer Salomoni Srl, we were happy to brave the elements.
Friuli Venezia Giulia is only an hour's drive from Venice, but there is no sign of the many tourists in the canal city, as the Hammerglass team discovers as they drive through fog and steady rain towards the village of Paluzza, about 70 km north of Udine. At the wheel is our own Italian tour guide, Roberto Agostoni, Sales Manager for Hammerglass Security Solutions in Southern Europe.
– Jedes Mal, wenn ich die Gelegenheit habe, Hammerglass einem neuen, potenziellen Kunden zu zeigen, bin ich von dem Material fasziniert und stelle fest, dass es in der Branche einen Bedarf für diese Art von Sicherheit gibt. Deshalb habe ich eine so wichtige Aufgabe, nämlich Informationen über Hammerglass zu verbreiten und die Alternativen auf dem Markt zu herkömmlichem Glas zu zeigen. Optionen, die für den Fahrer sicherer sind und zu einer besseren Betriebswirtschaftlichkeit beitragen. Kein Manager will teure Ausfallzeiten, aber wenn man keine anderen Lösungen kennt, ist es leicht, die kaputte Scheibe wieder durch den gleichen Produkttyp zu ersetzen», sagt er. Und das führt nur zu einem negativen Kreislauf.
Alfeo De Franceschi is a Hitachi customer in Friuli, and both he and his son have been fans of Hammerglass for some time. Their brand new machine, a Hitachi ZX 135 US, is equipped with our RABS solution and they are currently preparing to construct a new building in the village.
Tell us what is to be built here?
- First we were entrusted with the demolition of an old building, and now we are preparing the foundation for a new industrial hall.
What has been your experience so far with choosing Hammerglass RABS?
- We are very happy with the decision to buy this new machine, especially because this solution means we don't need a metal grille and still feel safer. We have also done some other small demolition work, some construction work and some forestry work, and got some hard stone chips and pieces of wood against the front windscreen.
«RABS ist eine hervorragende Alternative zum FOGS-Metallgitter».
Riccardo Salomoni, Hitachi dealer, what do you think of the Hammerglass product range and what feedback have you received from customers?
- All customers to whom we have sold Hammerglass solutions in combination with Hitachi machines (both excavators and wheel loaders) are extremely happy and satisfied with the safety, durability and good visibility of the grids. At Salomoni Srl we believe that RABS is an excellent alternative to the FOGS metal grille.
Roberto, what do you think about how Hammerglass can contribute to a small family business like this compared to a big one?
- Choosing Hammerglass as a replacement for the original glass or for the special RABS systems allows small companies like Alfeo De Franceschi to meet all legal safety requirements while having shatterproof glass and avoiding expensive downtime - a crucial factor when planning urgent projects and always struggling with deadlines.