Founded over 50 years ago as an aluminum foundry, FMV Trasmissioni Meccaniche today produces more than 2,000 types of V-groove pulleys made of aluminum alloy, metals, and mechanical components. This portfolio will soon be enriched with a new line of pulleys aimed at enhancing aluminum scrap.
Based in Tuscany, in Poggibonsi (SI), FMV Trasmissioni Meccaniche is an Italian industrial company deeply connected to its territory and social fabric. Present on the market as a foundry since the 1960s, it soon specialized in the production of V-groove pulleys in aluminum alloy, managing not only the metal casting but the entire machining process up to the finished product ready for assembly. A defining feature has always been the company’s strong focus on quality, understood in its broadest sense, and on environmental care throughout the entire product development cycle. This approach has once again materialized in a new project: a product line designed to valorize aluminum scrap.
“Soon,” explains Lisa Valiani, engineer at FMV and part of the company’s third generation, “not only a new pulley will arrive, but a genuine circular economy project. This ongoing project fits within the concept of circular economy, which our company has always embraced as one of its fundamental values.”
FMV, always attentive to recycling and reuse of waste materials, aims with this project to give a second life and different utility to scrap. Thanks to collaboration with the Design University of Florence, the designed and manufactured products will be ready for launch by the end of the year.
“The project,” continues engineer Valiani, “originates from participation in a Tuscany Region grant called ‘Supporting MPMIs for the acquisition of innovation services,’ and will also lead to the optimization of production process control, both by identifying flows and procedures capable of reducing waste, and by focusing on managing a specific aspect. I refer to the number of large-size scraps, which account for 55% of the total scrap but constitute only 1% of the production.”
Green Commitment Serving Precision Mechanics
“The topic of environmental reuse and recycling,” emphasizes engineer Valiani, “makes the pieces in design unique in their kind. Our company has always been attentive to environmental regulations. To this end, an Integrated Quality and Environmental Management System is applied, compliant with UNI EN ISO 9001 and UNI EN ISO 14001 standards, and the UNI EN ISO 45001 certification is in progress.”
Not only that, FMV is among the companies mentioned in the ECOfriendly path during last year’s MECSPE in Parma (a virtual and physical itinerary among exhibitors who adopt a green and ecofriendly policy in their business strategies, standing out for their particular attention to the environment), and has certified its Environmental Management System since 2011.
“For the technical definition of the products to be developed,” continues engineer Valiani, “we wanted to organize a creative workshop including a focus group on potential target market scenarios. All this involved participants from different backgrounds: 20 students from the Master’s Degree in Design at the University of Florence, company representatives, creatives, and market experts.”
The new products, which will be the first in a series of collections, will be created with the help of several professionals from various sectors, including students, making each piece “unique” in its kind, with major innovations compared to solutions currently available on the market.
Innovation, Creativity, and Expertise
FMV thus presents itself as a vertically integrated company, from design to casting, from mechanical processing to quality control, with an internal foundry department and the ability to perform mechanical machining. A flexible and responsive structure, also boasting a strong orientation towards innovation, creativity, and expertise. These qualities have led it to supply most manufacturers of construction and agricultural machinery, food machinery, electric motors, tire changers, pumps, compressors, underwater compressors, rehabilitation gym equipment, scaffolding, urban furniture, lighting, and much more.
“Our goal,” states engineer Valiani, “is to always innovate and improve. This is demonstrated by the circular economy project described here. To enhance the quality of the products we manufacture, we also purchased an advanced radioscopic machine. In 2019, over 100 hours of training were completed to acquire second-level certification in non-destructive testing using radiographic and penetrant liquid methods. Personnel attended these courses with recognized exams: Non-Destructive Testing Penetrant Liquids Level 2 Course according to UNI EN ISO 9712:2012; Non-Destructive Testing Radiographic – Radioscopic Level 2 Course according to UNI EN ISO 9712:2012. All this with the aim of acquiring new skills and introducing an additional quality control step, thereby increasing product quality and customer satisfaction.”
The Strength of “Made in Italy, Made in Tuscany”
FMV has been able to respond to the challenges of recent months not only by implementing all the safety measures required by protocols, but also by leveraging the digitalization process already underway within the company.
“Some employees in the administration department,” concludes engineer Valiani, “have continued to work from home thanks to smart working, but for several years now the company has been strongly focusing on digital solutions and will continue to do so. Our mission is to produce goods and services with full respect for workers and the environment, ensuring a high level of satisfaction for customers and stakeholders. In this context, we aim for continuous improvement by working on training and developing the skills of our collaborators, as well as fostering close relationships between students and the professional world. Although our products are exported worldwide, FMV is deeply rooted in the territory of Poggibonsi and strongly believes in the expansion abroad of the made in Italy, made in Tuscany brand.”
Source: Meccanica News
