Founded on 2 August 1958 by the Neapolitan entrepreneur Lucio Grassi, now in its second generation, Graded S.P.A. is an Energy Service Company (ESCo) that operates, in Italy and abroad, in the field of design, implementation and management of highly efficient integrated energy solutions for the public and private sectors. In this long interview, Vito Grassi, CEO of the company as well as vice-president of Confindustria nazionale and number one of the Regional Representatives Council in Viale dell’Astronomia, highlights the strengths of a modern and avant-garde reality, projected towards digital transformation, internationalisation and social and environmental sustainability.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Dr. Grassi, tell us a bit about the history of Graded. With what mission was the company founded by your father born and how has its core business evolved over time?
Founded back in 1958 as a sole proprietorship that mainly dealt with the installation of heating systems, thanks to the far-sighted work of my father Lucio and my mother Maria Rosaria de Donato (the name Graded originates from the acronyms of their surnames), the company (since 1998 S.P.A.) experienced exponential growth during the economic boom after World War II. In the golden years of reconstruction, in fact, the building stock in Italy increased dramatically in response to a strongly felt social need, that of rebuilding the cities devastated by the war, and the consequent pressing demand for housing. The urgency to rebuild and provide a roof for thousands of displaced families brought with it the need to build numerous heating systems, mostly centralised. Thanks to my father’s happy intuition, Graded did not, however, limit itself to just building plants, but also took care of their management. The decision to broaden its perimeter of competence by carrying out preventive and corrective maintenance has allowed our company to build a highly specialised DNA in all the sectors in which it operates (industrial, sanitary and residential), and to clearly distinguish itself from its numerous competitors (unlike the mere construction activity, maintenance services guarantee, in fact, continuity of turnover and customer loyalty). Over time, the company has further expanded its core business to other strategic activities and sectors, such as aerospace and agro-industry. Today, Graded is an accredited Energy Service Company (ESCo) that deals with the design, implementation, management and maintenance of highly efficient integrated energy solutions – from traditional and renewable sources – in the public and private sector.
What peculiarities distinguish you from your competitors? What are your strengths?
A consolidated experience in the renewable energy sector, continuous and substantial investments in R&D, a strategic vision oriented towards technological innovation, digital transformation and internationalisation (since 2013 Graded has also grown a lot in terms of territorial expansion, building its first photovoltaic plants abroad), have allowed us not only to assert our leadership in a highly competitive market that is under the magnifying glass (in fact, it is the heart of the energy transition), but also to successfully attack new first-tier and multinational segments, diversifying into markets that are still little explored, such as Agroindustry, Aerospace and all PA derivations. Another competitive advantage of ours is represented by our strategic approach to business management: thanks to the choice of harmonising economic growth objectives with social and environmental policies – thus combining innovation, productivity, competitiveness and respect for the environment – over time we have succeeded in reorganising our production activities according to Industry 4.0 paradigms, to be increasingly oriented towards digitalisation, production and energy efficiency, environmental sustainability (limiting C02 emissions into the atmosphere) and the circular economy. To succeed in this priority objective, we have focused on an innovative business model from the very beginning. We have established established partnerships with Italian and foreign universities, creating an unprecedented and functional synergy. More than two years ago, we joined the United Nations Global Compact, an organisation that brings together more than 18,000 companies of all sectors and sizes from over 160 countries around the world, whose mission is precisely to support and stimulate participating companies to respect and incorporate the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact on human rights, labour standards, environmental protection, and the fight against corruption (companies must declare their sustainable development objectives and report on their achievements at the end of the year). Thanks to precise corporate social and environmental responsibility, Graded has earned a prominent position in the list of Sustainability Leaders 2021, a special ranking compiled by Sole 24 Ore and Statista.
Today, therefore, sustainable development is no longer an option, but the only way forward. How important is the topic of energy transition for you?
It is a priority objective for us! In line with the European Green Deal – a very ambitious programme promoted and driven forward with commitment by the European Commission led by Ursula Von Der Leyen, which aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 – we have always been committed to promoting a wider and faster spread of renewable technologies, the use of which ensures a low environmental impact in terms of pollution, a higher degree of efficiency than fossil fuels by also leveraging digital transformation, and – last but certainly not least in terms of importance as history is teaching us – a perspective of security of supply. For more than three years we have been part of the IRENA Coalition for Action, a network created in 2014 by the International Renewable Energy Agency together with 35 industry players from around the world. An organisation that today brings together more than 130 major energy players and whose mission is to stimulate a global dialogue aimed at finding the best strategies to increase the share of sustainable sources in the global energy mix.
How important is human capital to you?
It is a priority! Graded is a company that bets heavily on young people (to whom it guarantees interesting prospects for professional growth within a healthy and stimulating working environment) and constantly focuses on their training. In fact, the ever-increasing digitalisation imposes a continuous expansion/updating of knowledge and skills: compared to the past, today it is necessary to be ready for continuous and frequent market evolutions and to develop a greater capacity not only to adapt, but also to proactively anticipate future trends. The passion, competence and determination of the people who work with us are all ingredients that translate into invaluable added value in the service of our customers, to whom we are able to offer the right, flexible and sustainable solution for every circumstance, ready to evolve.
So many achievements in all these years. Future objectives?
To play an increasingly leading role in some strategic sectors, bringing, for example, public administrations to the same level of efficiency and sustainable development as private ones, always putting environmental protection and territorial enhancement at the forefront.
For more info (https://graded.it)
