Our precious collaboration with A.P.I. (small and medium-sized industries Association)

It is right to talk about who is wrong (as long as the purpose is constructive), but it is equally correct in my opinion – to recognise the merits where they are due. This is why I have decided to dedicate this week’s post to the

precious collaboration that we have enjoyed – for some years now – with A.P.I. (small and medium-sized industries Association), an important reference point for small and medium-sized businesses in Lombardy.

The support that A.P.I. has given us in past years and that continues to offer us has been very useful for us and, for this reason, I am happy to share our experience in the hope that it will prove equally useful for other businesses similar to ours.

It all started a few years ago, when we received an invitation to a free seminar on the management of production programs and, more generally, on the computerisation of companies.
After the event, the deputy general manager of A.P.I. came to visit us at MICROingranaggi, with the aim of exploring further with us the services offered by the Association.
It was already during that first meeting that they proposed to us taking part in a purchasing group, created and managed by A.P.I., aimed at the purchase of electricity and gas. The aim of the initiative was to become part of a group of companies with a significant consumption of electricity in order to be able to receive this supply at a very reasonable cost thanks to a logic of economy of scale of purchase.

As A.P.I. had informed us,

 already from the first year we obtained a saving in costs related to the purchase of electricity of approximately 16%.

A very significant result that it would have been difficult for us to achieve had we not been in contact with the small and medium-sized industries Association. The benefits relate to an informational dialogue and the communication linked to the potentials that lie behind the creation of a common front.

Of course energy is just one example (which we can make because it has involved us directly) but I think it can give you a more practical idea of ​​the message I am putting across.
In fact, when a company commits to taking its business forward (managing customers and finding new ones, trying to obtain high quality levels in production, working diligently to achieve the objectives it sets itself from time to time and so on), it generally has less time available than it would wish for (and would need) to explore all the initiatives that could be of benefit (similar, to clarify, to what I have just talked about).

 Being therefore part of a valid association, one that is active and prepared, that is able to meet our physiological deficiencies is undoubtedly a valuable tool.

This is no small matter because, as we all know, there are also many associations that unfortunately are not able to provide the same service.
If on the one hand strictly informative communication is the result, the other great benefit deriving from being part of an association such as A.P.I. is that of being able to benefit from the advantages that can be obtained by presenting your company as a group, or at least as a larger entity. The sum of energy consumption of several companies, to resume the example made earlier, allows access to more competitive prices resulting from the logic of economies of scale, prices that otherwise would have been decidedly higher.

But does being part of an association (such as A.P.I. in this case) have a cost? Yes of course. But I can assure you that – and here I speak again from direct experience – this figure is largely offset by savings – in general terms – that can be achieved thanks to the consultancy service received.
The members of A.P.I. are companies from all product sectors. In our region, in particular, the mechanical sector has an important presence because it is the sector itself that has considerable relevance also at local level.
For anyone interested, the association has a website – which I remind you is www.apimi.it – where you can find all the appropriate information. At this link , instead, I report the institutional profile of A.P.I.