By the end of 2024, GDA will move to new premises, a fundamental step in a broader and more articulated development path. We put a few questions to Gianluca Adami, co-owner and general manager of the company, to try to get a deeper insight into the motivations and goals of this project.
You recently laid the foundation stone of the future GDA. Where did the need for a new location come from?
The idea came about a few years ago for various reasons. First of all, my family and I are convinced that our industry still has a lot to offer, that there is room for a modern company that has ideas and wants to develop them. I don’t think the market is saturated, there is still room for expansion.
At this point we looked each other in the eye and asked ourselves if we were interested in filling those spaces, if we wanted to do something new and continue to develop. The answer was ‘yes’. We still have a lot of desire to do, and where we are now, objectively, there is a space problem that has become insurmountable.
This desire to grow, combined with an objective space problem, has led us to the project of moving to a larger area, with the possibility of further expansion in the future, where we can realise the new ideas we have in our heads.
Any numbers from this new location?
These are the numbers that we have also highlighted on LinkedIn and to our customers: the new headquarters will be built in an area of 52,000 square metres and will have a total covered area of 7,000 square metres, of which 6,000 square metres will be dedicated to production and 1,000 square metres to offices.
Behind these numbers is the will to become one of the three/four most important players in Europe.
When do you expect to move?
We are working hard to meet the fairly tight timeframe we have given ourselves. In fact, we expect to complete the structure by the summer of this year, so that we can make the move between late summer and autumn, and be fully operational by the end of 2024. As of 1 January 2025, therefore, the new facility will be 100 per cent active.
This project is accompanied by a more general renewal of the corporate image: logo, website, institutional brochure, etc. With what objectives has this evolution been undertaken?
It is a renewal consistent with the company’s broader development project. I realised, in fact, that over the years we have invested a lot on production, on technical aspects, on product development, and we are appreciated by the market for these aspects, and we have not invested as much on brand and communication.
GDA is a company that is well known by insiders and we believe the time has come to aim for a more general and widespread brand awareness.
If the goal is to become one of the market leaders, we need the company to be recognised by a wider audience: by industry operators and intermediaries, and by the users of our products. Therefore, we are also investing in developing our image and improving our communication.
This does not mean that we will change our identity: the objective is to make known what we already are and what we are now and what we will do and want to become, all things that until now we did not communicate in the right way.
How will your customers benefit from this development project?
Nowadays we are recognised as being agile, fast, familiar, a smart company as they say.
We want to keep these aspects, but put them in a broader reality: we do not want to lose our strengths, among which is the ability to be really close to the customer’s needs. The aim, let’s say, is to combine the advantages of a family business with those of an industrial company.
Just one example out of all: as we have more space, we plan to expand the warehouse of products on an ad hoc basis, to be able to guarantee fast shipments to customers who, for a thousand reasons, do not have the possibility of managing their own warehouse.
What innovations can your partners expect?
In the new facility we will also have space to develop more and more automation, making production more efficient: a competitive advantage that will also be passed on to the customer.
Higher efficiency means higher production speed while guaranteeing consistent product quality, and also a better ability to handle special requests and customisation.
Our partners can expect constant innovations both in products and in general in many of the production, commercial and service business processes we offer.
A message/invitation/promise for customers reading this interview?
I can assure you that GDA is a company that believes in the future of this industry and will continue to invest to grow and improve.
We will be an increasingly reliable and committed partner to grasp and propose the greatest innovations in the market, so that we can also support the improvement of our customers.
We are and will be a company that will never back down, and will always try to stay one step ahead to help its partners seize the most opportunities that will arise in the future.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, in conclusion I would like to emphasise a fundamental aspect that is very close to my heart. GDA is also growing thanks to the gradual inclusion of new people.
People who are willing to provide the company with a whole series of their own skills and abilities, which will allow the company to make this project live and grow – and I would add without limits.
Motivated people who share the values and ideas of this company. Together with them we are building a corporate future that makes us proud.
