Founded in Alessano, in the province of Lecce, MyLav is a company highly specialised in veterinary diagnostics; a dynamic and innovative reality that has managed to assert its leadership in the Italian market, thanks to a far-sighted vision and the know-how of specialised personnel. The company, which over the years has broadened its core business to include other strategic activities, has been the protagonist of rapid growth, which led it to open a more modern and avant-garde headquarters in Milan (Rho) in 2017, and which has enabled it to obtain important recognitions, as Guglielmo Giordano, founder and sole director of this excellence with a green heart, now aiming to conquer foreign markets, tells us in this long interview.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Dr Giordano, with what mission was MyLav born? Tell us a bit about the history of your company!
The idea of founding the company was born in May 2002 when, driven by a strong passion and determination, I decided to expand the core business of a family laboratory of human clinical analyses, adding to the original core business a wide range of basic veterinary diagnostic services. In those years, in fact, the veterinary sector was experiencing unexpected growth, certainly linked to the exponential increase in laboratory examinations of pets, considered to all intents and purposes an integral part of the family unit, and therefore deserving of the same care as other family members. As the importance attached to the health and increasingly conscious management of pets has grown, the demand for veterinary services has obviously also grown; Thus, in order to respond to the new demands of an increasingly dynamic market, MyLav began to focus on highly specialised examinations, quickly becoming an important national reference point in laboratory diagnostics for companion animals in the fields of haematology, coagulation, electrophoresis, clinical chemistry, endocrinology, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, animal genetics, oncological genetics, allergology, pathological anatomy, etc. Thanks to the experience gained over many years of activity, this all-Italian excellence has managed to differentiate itself clearly from other market players and grow significantly in terms of both turnover and organisational size. It is no coincidence that, after the Financial Times (FT1000) had already listed it among the one thousand fastest-growing companies in Europe in 2018, in the last five years the Sole 24 Ore has also recognised it with the title of Growth Leader, including it among the top 450 with the highest levels of growth in Italy.
What kind of market is it in which you operate? And what are your strengths compared to your competitors?
MyLav has succeeded in establishing its leadership in a highly competitive market, thanks to the professionalism and experience of a team of veterinary pathologists and clinical pathologists, biologists and laboratory technicians experienced in veterinary diagnostics who are able to guarantee reliable and analytically correct reports. Thanks to a strategic vision, over time the company has diversified its offer in order to successfully penetrate hitherto unexplored market segments. Since 2012, it has thus focused on high-level Specialist Consultancy – thanks to the valuable contribution of opinion leaders of national and international standing – aimed at Veterinarians interested in increasing their knowledge and skills. The aim of this project? To enable small and large veterinary facilities located throughout the country to benefit from more skilled personnel able to offer increasingly qualified professional services. In the last few years, MyLav has also begun to address the training sector (with online or in-house courses aimed at veterinary doctors on the various sectors of veterinary medicine) and the information sector (thanks to a blog, Il Fatto Veterinario, through which our experts are able to communicate directly with pet owners, informing them – with absolutely certified news – on the latest developments in the veterinary medical sector and, more generally, on the health and well-being of their furry friend). And again with the aim of raising awareness of the new diagnostic possibilities of veterinary medicine, MyLav has created YourVets, an online platform of services aimed at veterinarians and their owner clients. An innovative tool created during the pandemic to put in contact, in a simple and fast way, the veterinary doctor (who can now provide his consultancy service online with the specialised support of the MyLav staff) and the pet owner who needs assistance or advice on specific diagnostic and therapeutic choices for their animal.
In 2023, you launched the Industry Division, which produces customised products made with 3D printing. What is this all about?
Thanks to 3D printing performed with state-of-the-art equipment, we are now able to produce both customised products that are particularly useful for orthopaedic medicine, and three-dimensional resin models that allow the veterinary surgeon to prepare the surgical field in order to visualise, study and plan the operation to perfection before it is even performed. Compared to the traditional surgical approach, this innovation therefore allows for more informed and precision surgery, improved outcome, reduced surgery time and cost, and reduced surgical risk.
How important is it for you to export your innovative business model to the world?
Very much! Consider that we are considered experts abroad, especially in the field of specialist renal diagnostics. This important recognition has prompted us to increasingly want to export our work quality and specialist know-how across borders, first to the European markets. Despite our many achievements (we are the first veterinary analysis laboratory in Italy to have obtained ISO 9001 certification and in the process of obtaining ISO 17025 certification, which guarantees excellence in laboratory diagnostics), MyLav is now aiming at a more advanced internationalisation, striving to ensure that Italian veterinary medicine continues to be an excellence recognised and appreciated worldwide.
For more info (www.mylav.net)
