‘When you have lost everything, everything is possible’. These are the words of Robert Inman, a famous American columnist. We gladly repeat them, in an attempt to summarise the way in which we interpreted the pandemic that changed all our lives.
How was 2020? Good, despite everything
Shall we take stock? The year 2020 was, without a doubt, the year of uncertainty. An uncertainty that turned everything and everyone upside down, including the comfort market and our state of mind. There is no point in denying it, we were unprepared. However, the resilience that is part of our company’s identity allowed us to resist and even to accelerate nascent ideas and projects, creating opportunities for us, our partners and our customers. We can therefore say that, despite and in light of everything, the year 2020, overall, went better than expected. Based on this, we feel that we can say that the 2021 outlook of the comfort sector is encouraging.
New market opportunities related to air quality
First of all, the pandemic created new awareness of how important health is as an essential dimension of comfort. A combination around which Fantini Cosmi, through the concept of Multicomfort, has, for a few years now, built its strategy. This awareness on the customers’ part gave a new boost to several markets, including the market of solutions for air quality where we have been present for years, also with the brand Aspira. This made it possible for us to invest, expanding and renewing the entire CMV range, with solutions for large and small buildings – be they residential, industrial, or commercial – aiming to ensure that air quality is improved. And to relaunch, also on the end market, products such as Rhinocomfort, which does not just recover heat but also sanitises the air.
The irreversible acceleration of the march of digitalisation
We must certainly thank the pandemic for the fact that some processes – such as dematerialisation, the increase in communication activities on digital media, the improvement of internal communication – have been significantly accelerated. It is clear that meeting face to face is more pleasant than doing so on Teams. It is also true, however, that being able to meet whenever we need to without the limitations of physical presence, has made internal – and, to some extent, also external – communication more agile and efficient. This was possible thanks to the great efforts that Fantini Cosmi expends in caring for relationships. Without this basis, it is likely that none of this would have been possible.
Increasingly intense dialogue with local areas: the CAT and Super Installer projects
We may take it for granted now, but we should not. The fact that we cannot get together has made the desire to do so all the more compelling. This is how the regular habit of maintaining relationships culminated in two projects for the local area, with the local area, born from a common desire to start growing again, together. I am speaking of the Super Installer Programme, which seeks to give installers the technical and commercial tools to increasingly consolidate their role of consultants, at a time in which products meant for comfort are becoming smarter and systems more and more complex. Caring for the local area must certainly include Support Centres, which play a key role in guaranteeing ever-present and specialised support for installers, promoting the sale of high-performing, tried and tested turnkey solutions, without surprises when it comes to cost. Project CAT, which aims to renew and expand the network of Authorised Technical Support Centres, was born in this context. And all in perfect harmony and collaboration with our wholesale customers.
The market outlook for 2021: we believe in recovery
Analysts’ forecasts point towards recovery. And since we are fundamentally optimistic and, at the same time, pragmatic, we endorse this vision. Expansive fiscal and monetary policies and the opportunity of a vaccine are good bases, as long as we continue to invest in innovation. As far as we are concerned:
- we will use strategy to consolidate our vision of the multi-comfort concept;
- we will continue investing in the thermohydraulic and electric sectors, with investments that have a solid foundation on dialogue with the local areas;
- we believe, lastly, that the road to a smart home is open: we have before us a roadmap rich in connected products with a focus on design, user experience and energy efficiency.
Happy 2021 to all our customers, partners, suppliers and readers.
