P. Cataldi, Sogefi : “There is still space to win market share among the largest distribution players”

Paolo Cataldi: The aftermarket in general and filtration in particular did better than average. We owe this dynamism to our well-established positions in this sector, and to our industrial network (10 factories around the world). The quality and availability of products helped accompany this positive trend. Despite a tricky economic landscape since 2020, we have continued to launch a multitude of new products, SKUs and ranges. We even launched specially tailored new products such as our Purflux cabin filters that use HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) media through the CabinHepa+ range. We are also active in electric vehicles and automatic transmission filters.

P.C.: Europe has always been a powerhouse for the IAM! France, Spain, Italy, Britain… and there is still space to win market share among the largest distribution players depending on their own positions in the different countries. We are now targeting countries to the north and east such as Poland. Further afield, China and India are areas of potential that we are not neglecting, in particular with electric models and new emerging vehicle manufacturers. 

P.C.: While we are aware that it will still be fossil fuel based for a few more years to come, the fleet is indeed beginning to evolve and that helps us anticipate these developments. Filtration isn’t just about the oil filter: there is also everything around cabin air conditioning… and there is still a big petrol and diesel fleet out there! The aim is to plan ahead for the future, while remaining agile in the current circumstances, and that’s not easy. We are getting stronger on a fleet which is still predominantly combustion engine and ageing, and, for the past five years we have been working on new mobility (electric, hybrid, hydrogen). The series launches are starting up and our portfolio is constantly changing. In hydrogen, we are even harnessing the technological skills of our filtration unit in Vire, Normandy, to offer innovative products to our clients. 

P.C. : Through continuous support and immediate responsiveness! We are seeing strategic movements happening between the arrival of manufacturers and the concentration of distributors, the emergence of private labels that the latter are developing, and the concentration of large suppliers. All this calls for extreme agility. Our ability to fulfil the demands of a constantly changing market is the key to our success. 

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