The Aretine jewellery group Unoaerre, which in 2023 closed a consolidated turnover of around EUR 300 million, announces the birth of UnoGlam. The new company is dedicated to the processing of non-precious metals, in particular brass chains for the leather goods and bijoux sectors. The project kicks off as part of a “strategic business differentiation path” of the Tuscan holding company. And it started in 2022 with the acquisition of the 68% of Ercolani Romano Galvanotecnica in San Zeno (Arezzo). We spoke about this with Alessandro Bruni, commercial director of Unoaerre and the group’s other affiliated companies.
Investment and vision
“At a time of district and sector difficulties, having vision in the future and making investments is fundamental”, says Bruni. “The cold winds of the crisis are blowing in Arezzo as well, but it is in these moments that one must invest for when the production cycle starts again. Let us think about the future”. Unoaerre Industries is about to celebrate its centenary (it was founded in 1926) and, to maintain its solidity, for two years now it has opened up to new market outlets, with the production and prototyping of non-precious metals. UnoGlam started on 1 April 2024 alongside Ercolani Romano Galvanotecnica, which carries out surface treatments on precious and non-precious metals.
New 4,000 square metre plant
“The creation of UnoGlam serves us to give another identity to the non-precious metals business”, Bruni specifies. The intention is to grow and invest further. “Over the next three years, we will create a new plant of about 4,000 square metres in San Zeno, which will stand alongside our current premises. We are waiting for the green light for building authorisation”. At the moment, Unoaerre and Unoglam coexist in the same factory. “There will thus be new space, and we will be able to invest in new activities”.
Never an hour of unemployment benefits
In 2023, the group had a turnover of almost EUR 300 million and, despite the economic difficulties, aims to close the current year by confirming the results. “We all work eight hours and have never had unemployment benefits. This is already an achievement given the current times”, explains Bruni. “Structured companies like ours have to differentiate in order to guarantee more security”. The holding has over 600 direct employees: about 310 employees at Unoaerre, 25 employees at UnoGlam, 50 people at Ercolani, plus another 250 in the foreign branches.
“We closed the first four months of 2024 at group level at the same level as last year as far as consolidated revenues and we consider this a positive result”, he concludes. “We do not see clear skies on the horizon. We will try to manage a situation that both on the precious and non-precious side is very complex. The second half of the year will be very challenging. Our goal is to close in continuity with 2023 even if it will not be easy, with the fashion crisis on the one hand and the impact of gold and precious metal prices on the other”.
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