From the Far East to the West, Mattei Group has built a robust network of subsidiaries and production sites spanning China and North America, because “internationalisation is part of our identity,” explains Giulio Contaldi, the Group’s CEO.
“When we firststarted producing vane compressors, we partnered with an industrial company in the UK. We exported large compressors to the UK and imported their smaller units in return. When that partnership came to an end, we had gained the experience needed to enter foreign markets independently. In the 1980s, we opened our U.S. subsidiary, followed by France and Germany in the 1990s, and China in 2007.Today, 90% of our revenue comes from international markets, while the remaining 10% are from Italy.”
Internationalisation is a key growth driver, requiring substantial investment: “Every market has its own characteristics and entry barriers. Entering a new market is just the first step; then you need to establish a stable presence and gain market share in a sector that is relatively steady. Once achieved, that stability is an advantage, but it makes initial entry more challenging.”
In the United States, Mattei Group has established a facility in Baltimore that is far more than an assembly line: has become a high-value operations site, serving both standard compressors and custom product customers (e.g., rail). A competitive advantage although it did not entirely shield us from tariffs, which fortunately have now stabilized. The uncertainty around tariffs had slowed investment decisions,” Contaldi explains. “Our goal,supported by a new sales team and service organisation, is to double our business.” An ambitious and challenging target. “In America, geographic distance is also a factor. For industrial products, this is manageable, but for custom solutions, it’s essential to be close to the plant where the equipment will ultimately be used.”
The same logic applies on the other side of the world. “In China, we built our plant on the east coast, where industrial density is highest. Here, 100% of our output consists of custom products for vehicles, rail, and gas sectors. Technological development here is very fast—faster than in Europe. While the European marketi s flooded with low-cost products, the Chinese market demands bespoke solutions where technology, reliability, and service are decisive differentiators.”
