By Ana María Restrepo
To bring to life Ricardo Cavalieri's career in the HVAC/R industry, we must start with the story of Manuel Ramón Cavalieri, his uncle, who in 1963 founded M.R. Cavalieri S.A, as a result of the sum of many years of knowledge in the sector.
By that year, Manuel had already worked in many companies in this market, had trained abroad and had developed applications for large customers; however, he continued with that entrepreneurial desire to create his own company and thus give way to new challenges.
Also, within his dreams was to be able to give free rein to the introduction of new technologies and products in the Argentine market. This will was set in motion, and the conjunction of these two factors gave the initial kick to the company.
Due to the great effort of Manuel and his team, the new small company, M.R. Cavalieri S.A, grew in the sector and supplied many customers with innovative solutions for those years; these actions were the result of the incessant search for new products and articles in Europe and the United States, as well as the clear conviction of selling national products, always respecting the premise and fundamental value of the company, which was, is and will be to market solutions of proven quality at competitive prices in the market.
An important legacy
Manuel Cavalieri's responsibility and love for the CVAC/R industry is shared by Ricardo Cavalieri, his nephew, who since 2001 assumed the direction of the company. Today, Ricardo remembers that when talking to many of his customers and employees who have shared moments with his uncle, only good memories come to light. "The admiration that all these people have for him, it's something incredible. I think personal learning is linked to work." Although Ricardo takes the reins of the company in the new century, his membership in it began in 1988.
Cavalieri (Ricardo) is a national public accountant born in Buenos Aires, who practiced his profession before joining the company in companies such as Siam Di Tella, Inverco Financiera, General Motors Arg., Mercedes Benz Arg. At the same time, he advised other institutions, as well as tasks in the judicial field, which in addition to work experience, gave him the necessary training and training to be able to face the inconveniences of the changing Argentine economy, which is characterized by its sawtooth-like behavior, as he says.
Currently, M.R. Cavalieri S.A, has 30 employees, two merchandise warehouses, training room and customer service desk. The company also has external salespeople for sales to different companies, and a staff of internal representatives for regular customers.
One life, many passions
Being the director of a company with 45 years in the market is not easy, because you must maintain an image, in addition to continuing with innovation and progress in an industry that every day evolves and modifies its actions.
The life of Ricardo Cavalieri is a sign that enthusiasm and passion are fundamental elements to lead a company and a family. In order to regain energy from different tasks and activities, Ricardo and his children share different passions, such as football and travel. But what most attracts Cavalieri's attention are racing cars, his love for them comes from his childhood, when he shared with friends who had that passion.
Although Ricardo carries out other entertainment and fun activities, he is always attentive to the technological challenges faced by M.R. Cavalieri S.A, both in terms of management, as well as in his relationship with his collaborators.
Its leading attitude is based on a permanent attention to what is happening abroad, given that technologies evolve and strategic alliances for a distribution company are fundamental. Therefore, you must be in contact with the companies that invest in innovation and development so that when changes are made in the sector you are with the right partner. "As a manager who took the reins of the company in the middle of the crisis of 2001 I face many challenges, I think the decisions I have made in these years were quite successful thanks to the talks with my children and with my close collaborators."
Likewise, Cavalieri highlights that "the high attention to the market, to the needs of customers and the permanent satisfaction of these needs, allows us to have to date an active portfolio of more than 3,000 customers in all sectors of production such as: manufacturers of boilers and furnaces, manufacturers of equipment and refrigeration and heating systems, food processing industries, petrochemicals, tanneries, pharmaceuticals, mining, etc.; covering in the same way the needs of product companies and specific applications of residential type".
Present and future
Despite the economic crisis that occurred in 2000, eight years later the company faces a new challenge of growth, both in its client portfolio and in its business lines: industrial, comfort and security systems, added to the flame control and safety line.
And it is not only Ricardo who has been linked in body and mind with M.R. Cavalieri S.A, today his two sons, Hernán and Gastón, become important actors and constitute the third generation of the company, actively participating in the operational and managerial management of the company in its entirety; likewise, they are directors of the same and personally manage the commercial and administrative areas plus marketing respectively.
Both Hernán and Gastón have worked in different functions in the company since the beginning of their university studies, which has provided them with a necessary vision to know the business integrally.
Due to the global change in terms of globalization and economy, there has been a trend in innovation and process improvement that leads companies to create strategies to be more competitive, effective and efficient. These strategies are very present in M.R. Cavalieri S.A, so much so that the company is immersed in the implementation of continuous improvement processes, such as the implementation of computer technology in software, as well as in total hardware renovation, development of the website for promotion and purchases, effective communication methodology through the different channels to join all these efforts in the implementation of ISO standards in 2009.
For Ricardo the training and training for customers and the team of MR Cavalieri S.A in the different areas of the industry must be constant, in addition installers must be trained, not only as a sales tool but to achieve a professional level in the sector. It should be noted that some of these trainings have the participation of the companies that the company represents, (M.R. Cavalieri is master distributor of HONEYWELL for Argentina of the HVAC line), which maintains its expertise according to the highest requirements of the market.
The company is based, since its inception, on three fundamental pillars: the value of its customers, the training of its team and the stock necessary to be able to supply their needs and applications in a timely manner.
Currently, Cavalieri considers that the company has always had the intention of growing giving everything of itself, faithful proof of this is that during 2009 the company will participate in four exhibitions in Argentina, being the same belonging to the sectors of CVAC / R, security, industry and instrumentation, in order to continue with its commitment to growth in the sector.
