When it comes to competitiveness, Valter Caiumi starts from a different place. Not from numbers, nor from markets. He starts with the visionary decisions that transformed a historic mechanical engineering company from Emilia into an international group focused on mechatronics, digitalization, and a culture of widespread innovation.
At the helm of the Voilàp Group—now a recognized player in the European industrial landscape—Caiumi embodies an entrepreneurial vision rooted in the local community yet open to the world. His conviction is simple yet powerful: competitiveness stems from the cross-pollination of diverse areas of expertise.
The turning point came thirty years ago, when the Caiumi family chose to invest in the convergence of mechanical engineering and electronics. At the time, the two worlds spoke vastly different languages. But precisely for this reason, bringing together what had been separate allowed them to anticipate change rather than merely endure it.
The real innovation was seeing in advance where the future was headed, he says. It was a transition that required investment, adaptation, and strong intergenerational synergy: My father brought the technical expertise, I handled the management side, and my brother provided the digital vision. Everyone made their own contribution.
For Caiumi, technology is an enabling tool, not an end in itself. It’s not about automating everything, but about creating the conditions so that people can work better, with greater awareness and more tools.
A smart factory isn’t a factory full of robots, he says. It’s a factory where information helps people make decisions, solve problems, and improve.
In his companies, digital systems aren’t used to control, but to simplify the interaction between people, equipment, and processes: real-time monitoring of production lines, transparent attendance management, and intelligently tracked remote work.
Caiumi has no doubts: the true revolution of recent decades is the internet, even more so than AI or automation. Because it has democratized access to knowledge and given a voice even to those who do not live in major industrial hubs.
Today, you can innovate anywhere, even in areas that were once marginalized, he observes. It is a cultural opportunity, even more so than a technological one, and it must be seized by building inclusive ecosystems.
One of the most significant developments in the group’s strategy concerns the shift from a purely B2B approach to a B2B2C model, in which the end user becomes the focus of observation, analysis, and design.
"We’ve learned to look beyond our direct client and understand the end user’s behaviors and needs," he explains.
This gave rise to Voilàp, a fusion of "voilà" and "app": a promise of wonder, simplicity, and accessible innovation.
The Emilia System: Supply Chains, Networks, and Collaboration Caiumi’s experience at Confindustria Emilia-Romagna reinforces a recurring theme in his thinking: competitiveness is a team effort. The Emilia production system works because it is based on robust supply chains, long-term relationships, and cross-pollination between manufacturing and universities.
But to evolve, we also need the courage to overcome divisions: We’ve sought to build bridges, not silos. To democratize information, share experiences, and help those willing to take risks grow together.
Technology is important, but for Caiumi, it remains a tool at the service of people. The approach is inclusive, pragmatic, and attentive. Decisions are made quickly, but not without listening.
Vision is certainly needed. But so is a willingness to engage in dialogue, openness to change, and respect for every partner, regardless of language or nationality.
The final piece of advice is clear: innovation takes practice.
It’s not just creativity; it’s continuous practice.
Associations are extraordinary training grounds. So is observing people, technologies, and changing models.
Thirty years ago, mechatronics was exactly that: bringing together what seemed distant. Today, the challenge is even broader, but the logic remains the same: to integrate, to cross-pollinate, to evolve. Always putting people and the collective good at the center.
The full interview with Valter Caiumi can be found in the FUTURO. Conversazioni di Buonsenso podcast.
Watch the interview on YouTube
Listen to the interview on Spotify
To read the full chapter and explore other topics in the book, check out Michele Bonfiglioli’s *25 Years of Lean Thinking, Italian Style*.
ai translated