We talked about it with Massimo Cecchini, CEO and Managing Director of STR Automotive about the market's trends and advancements.
October 8, 2019
Smartphones changed the way each of us relates to the outside world, raising the concept of “ease” to a fundamental value: everything must be easily accessible (or achievable), easy to use, easy to manage.
This concept was adopted by the automotive industry and has led to a profound rethinking of its products.
The car of the future, besides being electric, will be autonomous thanks to AI development and machine learning, and will no longer require human intervention; it will be more accessible, because it will no longer be necessary to obtain a license to drive; it will be fully connected with the users, the internet and other vehicles, making an infinite series of services enjoyable during the journey.
We talked about this and much more with Massimo Cecchini, CEO and Managing Director of STR Automotive, a Pesaro-based company founded in 2002 by Vittorio Strapazzini, that make polyurethane car components.
Cannon New (CN): The automotive market is rapidly evolving: technology has imposed a profound rethinking of the “user experience”, and, consequently, of the cars themselves and their components. In your opinion, what are the prospects for this sector?
Massimo Cecchini (MC): Analyzing the automotive market is complex, if you want to do it in depth. In general, the horizon of self-driving vehicles is getting closer. The technology, linked to our electronic tools, allows us to create always new networks and new habits. Electronics are traveling at an impressive speed: projects started six months ago, today are already outdated. In just six months! Thanks to the evolution of on-board sensors, autonomous driving will significantly reduce the possibility of collisions. So, the exterior cladding of the cars will logically change: it will continue to exist, obviously, but it will have different functions, beside contributing to aerodynamics, they might only have to protect passengers from wind and rain.
CN: And the materials used for car components? How will they follow these new trends?
MC: Beyond concrete developments in the automotive industry, we believe that the common denominator is, and will be, energy efficiency: to pursue this goal, vehicles must necessarily reduce their weight, meaning lighter components. The research is aimed at developing new technologies that manage lightweight plastics or composites. Graphene, for example, is the only material in the world that has the thickness of an atom and incredible conductivity, resistance and transparency features. Potentially, it could be used in automotive sector. In the current logic of change, even natural fibers, which do not seem suitable for automotive exteriors, must be taken into consideration.
CN: Natural fibers are a very interesting topic. Have you already tried to process them at STR?
MC: Yes, we have already tested natural fibers that, impregnated with certain type of resins, have a very low degree of moisture absorption, almost equal to their plastic equivalent. One problem, humidity, therefore seems potentially surmountable.
CN: So, you are looking for solutions outside the sphere of polyurethane?
MC: We are looking outside of polyurethane components because we are convinced that if we became the defenders, at all costs, of few technologies, we would risk not being ready to face challenges the automotive market, in an impartial and objective manner, offers to us.
CN: Research and innovation, investigating new materials and experimentation have always been an important part of STR. Even using polyurethane in the Italian automotive sector, you have been pioneers.
MC: Let’s say that we were the first to realize that the more the polyurethane formulations are of the amine type, the better the performance and surface quality of car components are. At the end of 2003, beginning of 2004, in collaboration with Dow Chemical and with Bayer, we tested the first real amine formulations, which were almost polyureas. We proposed these new formulations to car manufacturer Fiat, our main customer at that time. They had never used this type of technology before, but were deeply impressed. Then, we won a contract on a Panda 4×4 setup: the result was a great success!
CN: At that time, the Fiat Panda was being produced in Poland, right?
MC: Exactly, and we supplied the Polish factory, which had high quality requirements. Just think that 11 times it won the title of “Best Establishment in Europe” in the World Class Manufacturing classification system. Measuring ourselves against such a performing factory was difficult but we improved our organization to comply to such high standards. It was really a matter of survival! That experience made us grow and now we pursue excellence in all activities.
CN: What happened after the first experience with Fiat?
MC: In 2007 we were entrusted with producing a large part of the Alfa Romeo 8C’s interior and exterior parts, both saloon and cabrio. Then we managed to get a very important order: the Maserati Coupé GT rocker panel cover, used on 100% of the cars. In other words, all the Maserati in that series have an STR polyurethane rocker panel cover. The following year we began collaborating with BASF and and got a production order for the bumper of the first all-polyurethane Maserati, the 145 Trofeo, and, at the same time, we managed to also get an order from Ferrari: the Ferrari FF (Four Four) bumpers, the first four smart drive wheels. This order was followed by other supplies for Maserati (for 145 GT four-door sport version, Ghibli sport version, Levante sport version) and for Ferrari (458 special, 812 superfast and Portofino, 164, 142 mvs). In the meantime, the models derived from the Fiat 500 were also approaching this polyurethane technology, such as the special Abarth versions, of which we have completely set up the exteriors.
CN: An important step, therefore, led to you working with these prestigious car manufacturers. What effects has this growth had on your production?
MC: At the beginning, only a few units (around 40/50 pieces) were produced per day. If we consider important body parts, like bumpers, the company today makes around 200/250 pieces a day; adding rocker panel covers, external components, internal components (such as reinforcements or frames), we reach a total production of about 1000 pieces a day, printed and painted. We transform polyurethane, from the raw material to the finished product. Concerning carbon fiber and thermoplastic material, we manage “class A” finishing: painting and assembly.
CN: You have verticalized many processes, bringing them into your production plants…
MC: Yes, starting from the choice of the raw materials, to the plastic molding process, to their preparation and painting, to the assembly and final release, everything is internally managed. Also the project start-up phase with the customer has been verticalized: our technical department interfaces with the client’s company to develop the feasibility study and the engineering phase. At this point, concepts, equipment and testing are established: starting from the style model, we develop the project, design the equipment, build it and start the production process.
CN: Why are you managing most of all the production phases internally?
MC: At STR Automotive, we strongly believe that mastering the key processes – with high difficulty coefficients in technological terms – is a guarantee that can be given to the market. In other words, we want to have control and responsibility over part of the process that, if left outside, can potentially give qualitative and quantitative discontinuity to the customer’s assembly lines. For a customer a qualitative disturbance is important because it compromises the product image or reliability; a quantitative disturbance is devastating as it impacts enormously on its production speed. For this reason, we have decided to invest in the verticalization of complex production processes: we want to be a technological partner able to dialogue with the customer, guaranteeing total continuity, both in terms of quality and quantity.
CN: The relationship with Cannon is a long-lasting one: since the 1990s, when it was the Strapazzini Group, led by Vittorio Strapazzini. Cannon has been supplying machines, mixing heads and plants to process polyurethane. Together we also made the first tests with InterWet technology and other technologies that were experimental at the time. How did this collaboration develop?
MC: Thanks to Vittorio’s experience, STR also started with equipment supplied by Cannon. Currently we have several Cannon automotive plants, three dosing units for highly reactive RRIM formulations (the HE Booster), six mixing heads (RIM) and a press. I want to emphasize, however, that Cannon is not chosen today because of our past history: Cannon offers good products and services: the machines to process polyurethane are reliable, flexible and precise, and perfectly meet our production needs. So, in addition to the good historical relationship, Cannon is a market leader for plastic processing technologies.
