Meet Our Members: An Interview with Ugo Castellotti, Managing Director of Maccaferri Asia, Malaysia

1. What is Maccaferri’s Mission?
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Maccaferri’s Mission is based on the motto “By Nurturing the World of tomorrow, harmonizing life and nature through innovative solutions, Maccaferri pursues excellence and continuous improvement.’’
Nurturing for Maccaferri means to care, to protect, to be responsible for. Our vision is not just about ‘what’ we want to be but even more importantly it is also about ‘how’ we want to be as an organization. Responsible, respectful, caring, and sensitive not only to the environment but also very much to our people.
We pursue excellence through continuous improvement while delivering innovative, advanced, and environmentally friendly ​engineered solutions to our customers. Maccaferri is also committed to outstanding safety, quality, and sustainability in order to create value for all stakeholders as well as our communities.

2. What has driven Maccaferri’s growth for more than 140 years?

We have a highly professional sales and technical team to support and ensure that our customers’ requirements are met. Our worldwide network grows through innovation and diversification of its sectors of activity and through an increasing range of high quality and environmentally friendly products and applications.

3. How is Maccaferri organized worldwide?
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We are a global company, with more than 70 subsidiaries operating in 5 continents, with an on-site presence in more than 100 countries, and over 3000 employees: we are highly-specialized professionals trained in designing and developing complex solutions in the civil engineering, geotechnical and environmental construction markets. Our worldwide network grows through innovation and diversification of its sectors of activity, and an increasing range of high quality and environmentally-friendly products and applications.
Maccaferri (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was established back in 1994.

4. What are the top products of Maccaferri?

Today we are the undisputed leader in the manufacturing and supply of Gabions and associated Double Twisted Steel Wire Mesh products to the global infrastructure construction industry. These products are engineered from double twisted hexagonal woven steel wire mesh. Delivered flat-packed, the modules are assembled and then filled with stones at the project site. There are numerous uses for these modular units and are typically used to form flexible, permeable, and monolithic structures such as retaining walls, channel linings, hydraulic control structures, and erosion protection. They are increasingly being used in architectural applications as well.

With over 60 years of experience in rockfall protection systems and natural hazard mitigation, we also offer a wide range of systems for rock-fall protection and mitigation to protect infrastructures and properties from rock falling from natural or man-made slopes and to stabilize rock faces, soil slopes, and snow masses, reducing risks and costs for the community.

Inspired by the ambition to solve even more complex problems, today we produce a wide range of Geosynthetics including Geogrids and Geocomposites in numerous factories around the world. We are always striving for innovation as well as seeking constant improvement. Maccaferri is not merely a material supplier but rather a complete solution provider in the areas of Erosion Control, Riverbank Protection, Retaining Structures, Chanel Lining, Rockfall Protection, Slope Protection, and many more. These are supported by our wide range of double-twist wire mesh and geosynthetics products.
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Maccaferri has also diversified into Nets and Cages for Aquaculture. Our new Kikkonet is the net for technology-driven fish farming. When used within aquaculture net pens, farm operators benefit from Kikkonet and its unique combination of features. KikkoNet is the innovative net made of UV stabilized, extremely strong, and lightweight Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) monofilaments, woven into a double twisted hexagonal mesh, with specific and unique characteristics. Net pens fabricated in our Malaysia factory are exported all over the world as they provide optimum conditions for the growth of many fish species. They are custom-designed and delivered fully pre-assembled at the site which provides technical reliability and economic convenience, with tangible benefits.

5. How does Maccaferri develop sustainable solutions?

Innovation in terms of solutions and products is an essential part of the evolution of successful companies. Since our foundation, nearly 140 years ago, we work every day to find better solutions for our clients at every degree of latitude and longitude. We make innovation happen around the world by sharing our knowledge capital to increase the return on investment of clients and partners, and we offer ongoing support to establish relations built on solid trust. This is us: Maccaferri.

In 2014, the Maccaferri Innovation Center was born. Wholly owned by Maccaferri, the MIC is an innovative research centre based at the Development Department of IDM (Innovation Development Marketing) of Südtirol-Alto Adige Region, Italy. MIC manages all the R&D activities in the Group and services the needs of not just Maccaferri, but also of its sister companies in the Group with a special Focus on issues more related to the environment, including watercourses and coastal works, building infrastructure, waste management, etc MIC serves as a worldwide centre of reference and cooperation between the professional excellence in the Group.

6. How does Maccaferri sets itself apart from other manufacturers?

At Maccaferri we do not simply sell products: we provide better solutions – identifying, addressing, and responding to the specific needs of each client. Maccaferri is a partner who works alongside clients from the start of the project, maximising value for money through technical expertise and an extensive portfolio of quality products.
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Our better solutions start from the design phase of the project, with the simple aim of solving a problem. Then, we proceed through all the stages of development, in close synergy with our Clients. Our better solutions are always the end result of a close-knit, multi-level integration of Maccaferri’s headquarters in Italy, local subsidiaries, and clients’ needs.