When it comes to competitiveness, Valter Caiumi starts from a very strong position. Not by numbers or markets; he starts from the vision choices that transformed a historic mechanical company from Emilia Romagna into an international group focused on mechatronics, digitalization, and the culture of widespread innovation.
At the helm of Voilàp Group, a company now recognized in the European industrial landscape, Caiumi embodies an entrepreneurial idea rooted in the local context but open to the world. His conviction is simple and powerful: competitiveness arises from the blending of different knowledge.
The turning point came thirty years ago, when the Caiumi family decided to invest in the union between mechanics and electronics. At that time, the two worlds spoke different languages. But precisely because of this, uniting what was separate allowed them to anticipate the changes, rather than undergo them.
The real innovation was seeing ahead of time where the future was headed, he recounts. It was a transition that required investments, adjustments, and a strong generational synergy: My father brought the technical expertise, I the managerial side, my brother the digital vision. Each of us contributed his own contribution.
For Caiumi, technology is an enabling tool, not an end in itself. It is not about automating everything, but about creating the conditions for people to work better, with more awareness and with more tools.
A smart factory is not a factory full of robots, he says. It is a factory where information helps people to decide, to solve problems, to improve.
In their companies, digital systems are not used to control things, but to simplify the interaction between people, systems, and processes: real-time monitoring of lines, transparent management of attendance, smart working tracked with intelligence.
Caiumi has no doubts: the real revolution of the last few decades is the internet, before even AI or automation. Because it has democratized access to knowledge, and has also given a voice to those who do not live in the major industrial hubs.
Today you can innovate anywhere, even in territories that were once marginal, he observes. It is a cultural opportunity, rather than a technological one, and it must be seized by building inclusive ecosystems.
One of the most significant evolutions in the group's strategy involves the transition from a pure B2B logic to a B2B2C model, in which the end customer becomes the object of observation, analysis, and design.
We have learned to look beyond our direct customer, to understand the behaviors and needs of the end user, he explains.
From here comes Voilàp, a fusion of voilà and app: a promise of wonder, simplicity, and accessible innovation.
The Emilia System: Value Chains, Networks and Collaboration Caiumi’s experience at Confindustria Emilia-Romagna reinforces an idea that runs through his thinking: competitiveness is a team effort. The Emilia production system works because it is based on robust value chains, long-term relationships, and the interaction between manufacturing and academia.
But evolving also requires the courage to overcome divisions: We have tried to build bridges, not towers. To democratize information, to share experiences, to grow together those who are willing to get involved.
Technology is important, but for Caiumi it remains a means at the service of people. The approach is inclusive, pragmatic, and attentive. Decisions are made quickly, but not without listening.
It certainly requires vision, but it also requires a willingness to engage in dialogue, an openness to change, and respect for every interlocutor, regardless of language or passport.
The final advice is clear: innovation is something that can be trained.
It's not just creativity; it's continuous practice.
Associations are extraordinary places. Likewise, the observation of 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: integrating, blending, evolving. Always putting the human being and the collective interest at the center.
The full interview with Valter Caiumi can be found in the FUTURO. Conversazioni di Buonsenso podcast.
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To read the full chapter and learn more about the other sections of the book, discover 25 years of Lean Thinking in the Italian style by Michele Bonfiglioli.
Valter Caiumi is the entrepreneur at the helm of Voilàp Group, an Emilia Romagna-based industrial company that emerged from the evolution of a historic mechanical company. The group is focused on mechatronics, digitalization, and a culture of widespread innovation, and is recognized in the European industrial landscape. Caiumi has also gained experience at Confindustria Emilia-Romagna.
Mechatronics, that is, the union between mechanics and electronics, was strategic because it allowed us to anticipate change. Thirty years ago, the Caiumi family invested in two worlds that spoke different languages. It was a choice that required investments, adaptations, and generational synergy: technical expertise, managerial expertise, and a digital vision.
For Valter Caiumi, digital technology is a facilitating tool, not an end in itself. In his companies, the systems serve to simplify the interaction between people, systems, and processes, not to control them. Examples include real-time monitoring of lines, transparent management of attendance, and smart working implemented with intelligence.
Moving from B2B to B2B2C means looking beyond the direct customer and bringing the end user to the center of observation, analysis, and design. For Voilàp Group, this meant understanding the behaviors and needs of the people who use the product. This is also where the name Voilàp comes from, a fusion of voilà and app.
According to Valter Caiumi, the real revolution is the internet, before even AI and automation. It has democratized access to knowledge and given voice to those who do not live in the major industrial centers, allowing for innovation everywhere, even in territories that were once considered marginal. It must be achieved by building inclusive ecosystems.
For Valter Caiumi, innovation is not just creativity but a continuous exercise. He trains by attending associations, which he defines as extraordinary gyms, and by observing people, technologies, and changing models. The logic remains to integrate, contaminate, and evolve, always putting the human being and the collective interest at the center.
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