Marche's hats Sorbatti receive innovation awards

Ancona - Sorbatti, the hat manufacturer, and Maria Pia Castelli, an agricultural produce brand, are two new entrepreneurial success stories in the Fermo area of the Marche region. The designation for the firms was announced by CNA Marche [the regional handicrafts firms association], which hosted the presentation of the 'Excellent Enterprises Repertoire' and organised tha awarding ceremony, including the most innovative enterprises in the region. Maria Pia Castelli's agricultural enterprise comes from Monte Urano, and produces prestigious wines using traditional craftsmanship methods. Its owner, Ms Castelli, received the award 'Impresa Donna'.

The hat manufacturer Sorbatti, hailing from Montappone, has conquered international markets by utilising its artisanal peasant straw weaving tradition. It was awarded the prize for internationalisation strategies. Every year, the CNA assigns prizes to 30 shortlisted small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from the Marche region that have proven that they have tackled the crisis by focusing not only on innovation and quality in their production, but also in markets, strategies, relations and people. "In the past five years in the Marche region, 38.3 percent of enterprises with more than 10 employees has introduced innovative processes and product activities. These enterprises have also innovated in organisation and marketing processes, making a positive impact on the turnover," said Paolo Silenzi, president of CNA Fermo.

"Nevertheless, in spite of the efforts accomplished in the Marche region's production system, 61 percent of the 19,600 manufacturing companies make low-technology content products. Only 11 percent of them sell their production online. These gaps must be filled if we want to be competitive and jump on the wagon leading to a stable recovery. We commend Sorbatti and Castelli for representing the best of our territory, and for being examples of best practices in the entire system." The Excellent Enterprises Repertoire includes the 30 firms that have been selected at a regional level. The section devoted to Innovation and Research includes Scanny 3D (design and production of scanning systems) and Santoni & Co (design and manufacturing of casts and mouldings), both from Rapagnano.