The event organized by the international magazine Ha Factory was held on 14 September in Milan, celebrating 70 years of providing information to the global market of professional, domestic and industrial appliances with a moment of reflection, inclusion and in-depth analysis of the current market culture, inviting many companies and institutions from the world of household appliances and design.
ILVA Glass, as a company of excellence in the production of glass for household appliances, was called to give its contribution during the product session, talking about appliances and related production, with particular attention to the concepts of innovation and collaboration.
Present to represent the company was Dr. Roberto Sonni, Plant Manager, who was introduced by the moderator, Prof. Marco Villani (University of L’Aquila and technical director of the HA Factory magazine).
In the dialogue with the other speakers, Sonni presented ILVA Glass’s choice to internally develop the raw material for its applications for the cooking area, i.e. glass ceramic, for over 20 years. This material, according to the formulation developed over the years by ILVA Glass, has unique and very complex chemical-physical characteristics: it is a material that has no thermal expansion and for this reason it is used for hobs, whether induction or radiant .
If radiant hobs still generate a certain heat dispersion, in the case of induction technology we can instead achieve maximum thermal and energy efficiency, given that the currents induced in the bottom of the pan directly heat the food contained inside . The glass ceramic used in induction hobs is also an important product from a sustainability point of view, allowing significant energy savings compared to the use of traditional gas hobs. This type of hob is not yet very widespread, while it would be important to spread the culture of using this product in the kitchen.
ILVA Glass is present in Italy with a factory of 180 employees and its raw material manufacturer plant where another 150 workers are employed, producing 2,000,000 glass ceramic tops per year and 5,000,000 pieces in total, collaborating directly with all the big brands in the household appliances industry.
What differentiates ILVA Glass from its competitors, which are certainly larger in terms of size, is its production flexibility and its ability to collaborate with its customers.
In fact, the structural characteristics of the company mean that strong collaborations are established between the company and the customers’ technical offices, remaining open to all requests that are expressed. For ILVA Glass, understanding how to satisfy the customer and how to create the product they want is not only a way to maintain its competitiveness, but also a way to enter the “back-stage” of the final market, understanding the market logics, the reasons behind specific requests, what improvements could be made and which type of material or process can be developed.
This attitude towards collaboration is extended to all types of ILVA products, including borosilicate glass, which represents another important sector in which the company excels. In fact, ILVA Glass also produces a special borosilicate glass used for oven doors, which withstand to temperature till 500°C and with a special coating applied, acts as a barrier for heat escape. Also in this case, collaboration with the customer remains a strong point, bringing advantages for both partners. It is in this way that dialogue and integration between different skills and professionalisms produce culture.
