The fact that Zerica is still thriving, three generations on, is a real testament to the strength of its people, products and reputation in the water cooler world.
In early 1931, founder Marco Zerilli decided to start a family business to produce water cooling systems. Obviously, the world of communications and international business was rather different all those years ago, making international trade and shipment more of an issue, yet the company still managed to become established in the south of Italy, with some distributors in the north.
After 30 years, the second generation of the family took over, and son Giacomo Zerilli began to pioneer in Italy a product well known in the US but totally new for Italy and Europe: the water cooler.
Taking pride in its technological base, the company grew quickly and soon built up an excellent reputation and brand name, reaching customers as far afield as Australia and Canada.
In 1980, the name was changed from Zerilli to the current Zerica brand name, which combines current directors Marco’s and Antonio’s parents’ names and signifies the importance of the family working together.
So, how do you get to 80 years in business and remain innovative and profitable? Zerica has always designed, developed, manufactured and assembled its entire range of products in-house.The company has always invested significantly in research and development, pushing its innovative products to 27 countries worldwide. The company increased turnover by more than 25% at the end of 2009 and is still growing.
Based in one of Italy’s most beautiful areas, Sicily, the company has legal offices in Palermo, and main offices and production are located in Termini Imerese, with excellent port connections to export from the south of Italy.
Zerica also opened new offices in Arenzano, northern Italy, at the end of 2010. A new commercial office will offer better coverage and improve customer relations further.
What were your first products?
Antonio Zerilli: Among the first products was a large system for the Horeca sector, for the local and Italian market. We also manufactured an in-house compressor made entirely of cast iron.
Our first water cooler systems were water fountains and some bottled cooler models. Today, we have documented systems that are still working after more than 39 years.
How has the company changed and grown since it began?
Zerilli: Businesses in general move very fast today. The internet and countless new technologies mean we can achieve things in minutes that 40 years ago would have taken weeks. Our 80 years of experience make us unbeatable in cooling systems. Today we have international distribution of our products, and we’re well known for their reliability and performance.
How do you view Zerica within the European cooler manufacturing world?
Zerilli: Our aim is to develop products to ensure full satisfaction for our customers and keep their loyalty for the future. Our research and development offices are working hard to this end, to spread our business in Europe and in some specific areas of the European Union. We have a very flexible production set-up, with total traceability of the whole production process by means of SAP software. We can really tailor our manufacturing process for specific customers and the technology they require.
Do you have many high-profile clients?
Zerilli: We’re a flexible manufacturer. We work with several major companies to provide Zerica cooler systems for their products. We’re very proud of these partnerships.
Which sectors are most popular for your coolers?
Zerilli: We have good distribution in the Horeca category and public areas such as airports, museums, hospitals and schools. We’re also very interested in the residential market.
Where do you see your main competition coming from?
Zerilli: It’s a very big market, so European manufacturers have enough ‘space’ without coming into competition with each other.
How important are environmental issues to your business and how are you approaching them for the future?
Zerica is very sensitive to environmental issues and our technological development reflects this. Our High Performance Direct Chill (HPDC) system is the only direct chill that can chill water in just three minutes from turning on the power, instead of up to 40 minutes for other systems. This means a great energy saving of about 70% over the traditional system.
Which are your most popular water cooler models?
Zerilli: Our bestsellers are the systems using HPDC. Last year was also good for two of our new domestic models: the Atlantis and Premium Top.
Do you have new products in the pipeline?
Zerilli: Stay tuned! 2011 will be full of very interesting news!
How important is the design and look of a water cooler?
Zerilli: It depends on the market. The professional market invests more in features than in design, while domestic and offices are more interested in the appearance of a product. We prefer not to differentiate between the two markets, giving both great features and appearance.
Are customers still willing to pay for quality and top technology?
Zerilli: Of course, this varies from customer to customer. We’re not interested in low-quality products. Moreover, our new tools and machinery inside our manufacturing process are able to offer a high standard with a very competitive price. This is our key to success.
Please explain the importance of high-performance direct chill.
Zerilli: Zerica was the first company to introduce the standard Direct Chill in 1980. This project was improved with the HPDC. We believe this is the only system with 70% energy saving manufactured in copper pipe that has a confirmed reaction against Legionella.
If money were no object, what kind of cooler would you design?
Zerilli: Perhaps with cooperation of some international architects, we would launch a limited edition of some systems. In the past, we produced a limited edition of a domestic system hand-painted by the award winning painter Sara Bentivoglio.
Where are your growth markets?
Zerilli: The features of our water coolers make for good results in all countries with very hot temperatures. New marketing campaigns are opening up new business in European and outside Europe locations.
Do you think there’s now a bias towards mains-fed water coolers rather than bottled coolers?
Zerilli: The future is surely reserved for mains-fed water coolers. We believe they offer a more ecological service. People are also opening up to the idea of drinking filtered tap water rather than bottled water.
What do you think are the key elements to survival in a tough marketplace?
Zerilli: Experience, high standards, innovation and to be able to give a solution to all customers who are anticipating new trends.
How do you win new business?
Zerilli: We provide for our customers’ needs before our commercial ones. After this, exhibitions and advertising are the most effective methods of marketing for our business.
Are industry events useful to your business?
Zerilli: We make every effort to attend all events related to our business. They’re a great way to find new customers, meet old friends and, of course, as a way of measuring ourselves against the competition. This year, we’ll attend the Avex show in Birmingham, Aquatech in Amsterdam and Host in Milan.
Hannah Oakman is editor of Cooler Innovation magazine. Subscribe here.
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