On 14 June, the new headquarters of Hiteco, a Scm Group company specializing in the development and production of high-tech mechatronic components for machine tool manufacturers, was inaugurated in Rimini (Corpolò).

Hiteco was founded in 1977 in Villa Verucchio as an in-house division to supply components (electrospindles, double rotary heads, drilling heads and power units) for the Group’s woodworking and other material processing machines. Over the decades, Hiteco has grown steadily, fueled by a steady increase in exports to Europe, Asia and North America, where the company opened its own sales office in 2020.

This progressive development has made Hiteco one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-tech components for CNC machines designed to process a wide range of materials such as wood, plastic, composites, glass, stone and metal.

Today, Hiteco is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Scm Group and generates a turnover of around 40 million euros, more than half of which is attributable to business with customers outside the Scm Group.

The new headquarters in Rimini has a total area of 9,000 square meters, of which more than 7,000 are dedicated to production. The previous location in Villa Verucchio had a total of 3,000 square meters. The Scm Group’s investment will enable Hiteco to potentially increase its workforce and improve the efficiency of its Made in Italy production and R&D activities. New projects relate in particular to the development of digital services, IoT systems and intelligent products equipped with artificial intelligence algorithms, as well as an expansion of the product range in the areas of stone, glass and metal processing, also with a view to Industry 5.0.

More space and greater competitiveness on the Italian and foreign markets will also translate into greater collaboration with schools, universities and vocational training institutes, as well as more opportunities for staff development, also thanks to the training courses offered by Campus Scm Group to Hiteco and all the other companies in the Group.

The sustainability of the new company headquarters with a 356 kWp photovoltaic system and the link to the history of the area are worthy of note: During the construction work, archaeological sites and artifacts from the Roman era were discovered and recovered, in particular an ancient route of the road that connected the colony of Rimini to the city of Arezzo (Via Ariminensis), as well as a group of tombs from the same period.

“The inauguration of Hiteco’s new headquarters,” says Andrea Aureli, President of the Scm Group, “confirms the Group’s desire to continue investing in the region where it was founded over 70 years ago. Now there are new opportunities to gain further market share in a sector such as mechatronic industrial components, which is characterized by significant growth margins.”

Hiteco Director Massimo Benvenuti adds: “This investment is the culmination of the continuous progress of recent years and a new starting point to further increase the innovation and quality of our products and services. If today we are a globally recognized excellence with a far-reaching international presence, it is thanks to the people who work with dedication and passion for this company every day, from production to the offices.”

The official inauguration ceremony was attended not only by Scm owners and managers, Hiteco employees and their families, but also by a whole host of local celebrities, from city councillors Vincenzo Colla and Juri Magrini to the mayor of Rimini, Jamil Sadegholvaad.

“The Scm Group’s new investment confirms its determination to continue to compete at a high level internationally, with the aim of producing high-quality, technologically advanced and sustainable products,” said Councillor Colla. “At the same time, it strengthens the relationship with the local community, which is a prerogative of Emilia-Romagna companies, not only by promoting good jobs, but also by opening up to training and cultural activities that benefit the entire area.”

Provincial President and Mayor Sadegholvaad added: “When a company invests, strengthens, expands its horizons and does so through research and innovation, it is a community value. The impact and importance is not only measured in the narrow circle of the leading company, but in the broader context of the social life of an area. With the opening of the new Hiteco headquarters, the Scm Group confirms its driving role in the industrial investments that make it globally competitive. But there is something else: the awareness that quality and ‘being one step ahead of the others’ are the elements to be able to achieve excellence, which then brings well-being, work and far-reaching future prospects for hundreds or thousands of people. A healthy company, a company that invests, is an asset to the community. There is no doubt about that.”