Interview with engineer Biagio Barile on the evolution of Astra Refrigerants’ COINOX plant

Biagio Barile is one of Baglioni’s leading figures: he joined the company 18 years ago, in parallel with the establishment of Astra’s COINOX plant, and today holds the position of plant manager and is responsible for coordinating and managing not only the plant, but also the team.

This is the Baglioni plant based in Corigliano D’Otranto, Lecce, Italy, which is involved in the production of small and medium-sized tanks for various B2B-oriented application areas, mainly to manufacturers in the EMEA region.

In this interview with Biagio Barile we retrace the stages of the birth and growth of the COINOX plant.

How was the career path realized within the Baglioni Company?

“I joined Baglioni 18 years ago , in the year the COINOX plant was born, with a starting team of only five people. This was my first professional experience, and I was initially in charge of different business areas , from logistics, to production, to order issuance and management.

Over time, we grew, became well established in the market, began to have several clients and, as a result, expanded the team. I arrived at Manage the whole group and the quality and safety part of the production unit.
I am currently plant manager and am in charge of coordinating and managing the plant and the team, which now consists of 22 people.”

What are the best aspects of working at Baglioni and what is the working environment like inside the plant?

“Of my work, I like the young and dynamic environment and, above all, the collaboration and support each other among all the people in the group that, over the years, has allowed us to test a quick and streamlined decision-making process , decisive in facilitating and optimizing daily work.

A lot of confidence even to the youngest and optimism is conveyed daily to create an environment capable of being stimulating , but also of extreme mutual trust, a fundamental value for being able to do good work.

The possibility of growth is another key aspect: I, as well as many others, have been in Baglioni for many years and we have never been replaced, on the contrary. We were given the opportunity to learn, learn new knowledge and skills, gain experience and develop our know-how and then be of example and guide for new boys entering the Company.

There is also a strong attachment to teamwork and a common vision toward shared goals, which allows us to always look forward and not be satisfied with the goals already achieved.”

What were the stages of evolution of Plant COINOX?

“When I started my journey in Baglioni at the COINOX plant, our offer was very different from what we offer today.

When we realized that the market was moving in another direction, we also changed our production, introducing the compressed air tanks and quickly became a leader in this field.

Our development then led us to also include the air separators , which were previously produced in our Plant in China and have become the flagship product of our division.

Parallel to this corporate growth, my personal and professional journey at Baglioni has also developed: the constant leadership and management training allowed me to better understand the importance of communication with and toward my team, active listening as a tool for empowerment, and synergy to create a winning work environment and a positive relationship between colleagues and co-workers.“

Plant COINOX: stainless edible oil products and tanks

Originally, Baglioni’s COINOX plant was created with the task of bringing the following to life. stainless edible oil products. However, the market response is not what was expected, and so our company decides to abandon the production of oil products and maintain, albeit marginally, pressurized water products.

Plant COINOX: compressed air tanks

Attention to market trends, coupled with analysis of the demands of specific applications, led the COINOX plant to move away from the development of other products and toward the exclusive production of compressed air tanks.

This allowed us to specialize strongly and vertically in this field, so much so that we quickly created a loyal customer base and became a recognized leader in the field.

In addition, over the years, the COINOX plant has also become a reference point for all other Baglioni plants, to which it gives constant support.

Plant COINOX Baglioni: air separators and Asme certification

The most recent phase of development of the COINOX plant has focused on a corporate strategy of sourcing in favor of reshoring: we have implemented a re-location of our production activities destined for the U.S. market.

In particular, we brought the production of air separators from China to Italy, at the Corigliano D’Otranto plant, to give continuity to the Plant’s orders and reduce transportation and procurement expenses.

Do you want to know more?

Read also. The reshoring from China to Puglia of Baglioni products for the American market

We also transferred, also to the COINOX plant, part of the production of air separators that used to be carried out in the San Pietro Mosezzo (Novara) plant, with the aim of freeing up production lines to expand the product range.

This strategy has not only turned air separators into the flagship product of COINOX, which develops them and then ships them to the rest of Italy and the United States, but it has also given the plant a strongly international connotation.

It also enabled our company to obtain the ASME Certification (a prerequisite for accessing markets in the U.S., Canada and 113 other countries around the world) also for the COINOX plant in Apulia, as further confirmation of the quality and safety of our products.

Do you want to know more?

Check out the full article on How Baglioni tank production has changed over the years

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