Starting analysis
The start-up was born from the analysis of a company–manufacturer of contract components for the automotive industry–which requires identifying possible lines of development to impart growth to its business, which has been steadily declining in recent years.
The company has no business structure at all, and while it has a few major clients, it has no level business relationship that would allow it to have any influence on the client; it is ultimately seen as a third-party supplier, to whom work and orders are delegated for execution, but nothing more.
Increasing volumes with current customers does not appear to be easy or quick to achieve, given that projects in the automotive sector are long-term and production potential does not allow for participation in large projects.
Changing the company’s positioning by building its own after-market brand would require a long, difficult and uncertain outcome of business building work. Since there is no own-brand production and no numbers to be competitive on large volumes, it is unthinkable to even attempt the export route.
Solution: start up a new business
An analysis of the company’s capabilities, however, shows that the company has built specific production and quality control machinery for itself as well as for others over the years.
A courageous decision is, therefore, made to step outside the historical perimeter of contract work, over which one has little control, in order to organically develop a new line of business, a start-up founded on products and services with greater added value and, precisely:
- Production of machinery for specific processing or quality control for the filtration industry, such as Bubble Test ISO2942, Collapse Benches, Pleating Machines, etc.
- Machinery maintenance, revamping and retrofit services
Execution
To start with a clear and orderly situation, it was decided to keep the two businesses separate and to use an existing but inactive company.
The business model was defined, product offerings selected, cost sheets and price lists developed.
With regard to commercial, it was decided to focus limited resources on online.
The core was to build a website by paying utmost attention not only to communication and graphics, but also to text and SEO, as well as to optimizing the site’s speed, thus trying to best meet Google’s guidelines (performance, the so-called Core Web Vitals influence, big time, search results).
The result rewarded the efforts, as in just a few months the startup achieved excellent search engine rankings, all without any advertising investments but only thanks to the organic SEO of the site.
All new business data (including site data) is managed by a CRM that has simplicity of use as its strength.
Site implementation and maintenance, CRM customization, and staff training were totally taken care of in-house by MantovaNet.
In the continuation, other forms of targeted communication on practitioners are planned.
Promotion to incumbent customers has been positive, with requests for quotations for both products and revamping services; even more encouraging, however, have been the requests for quotations that have come from other companies, both Italian and European and North American, who have found the start-up exclusively through search engines.
