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PONY, passion at the service of quality

We find ourselves in Inzago, a town located on the outskirts of Milan, at the headquarters of Pony S.p.A., a company renowned for its long-standing expertise in the production of professional ironing equipment. Here, we meet Andrea Astolfi, the Commercial Director of the company for nearly one year. His professional background is quite impressive: a wealth of experience in information technology, more specifically at HP, where he was Product Manager in the mobility sector and sales, responsible for the Italian suppliers.

“Replacing Paolo Fumagalli,” says Andrea Astolfi, “as Commercial Director was a significant challenge. Paolo’s prominence in the industry is well known to everyone. For me, at Pony, it is a constantly stimulating challenge. Being able to collaborate with Paolo and the team is a major source of motivation. The goal is to continue identifying areas for improvement in everything we do. I’ve found at Pony a team of highly skilled professionals who give vitality to my daily work. I strongly believe in people as valuable resources, and this is where the idea for the ‘We are Pony’ campaign, which we recently launched, originated”.

Could you tell us more about “We are Pony” campaign?

“Pony has always used its communication by linking it to the product, just like all other companies in the sector. And it’s natural to do so. When I arrived at Pony, I found myself among competent people in a pleasant environment, operating in a sort of comfort zone. And this is what all our partners experience as well. I thought it was necessary to communicate the value of people, to put them at the forefront of a ‘campaign,’ which necessarily has to be flanked to the product-related one. Here, people are resources, and they will need to communicate their daily lives, their professionalism, teamwork, and much more. So, a campaign that gives a voice and a face to those who contribute to Pony’s success. This is a large family that is not just Fumagalli, the head and heart of the company, but also made up of many others. Behind every product, there is the beating heart of the company, from research and development to carpentry, from painting to prototyping, from the testing department to marketing, sales, and the back office. Engineering new products and, therefore, the ideas of the future is essential, but it is also necessary to improve what already works by innovating. Improving the performance of our machines in relation to new technologies, but also to the new market needs”.

On your company’s portal stands out the claim “we have a solution for every market”, which is the reasoning behind it?

“Our communication strategy can be interpreted in two ways. The first focuses attention on each market segment, where every sector has its own needs, and we offer proposals that are the most suitable to meet that demand. The second one represents a response to the needs in relation to every corner of the world (120 countries). Our solutions encompass all markets. Our widespread success is due to our sales partners and distributors. A solid relationship with our partners is our flagship, an added value. Pony is a reference point for them in a structured partnership of mutual trust that, for many, has been ongoing for decades. Our sales channel is built on extremely solid foundations, and our goal is to constantly relaunch and revitalise it with new content, new opportunities, and new strategies.

Each country is supported with tailored methods and content. Every part of the world has its own culture, its own habits, that are necessarily reflected in a specific demand for ironing and for a machine that responds to certain needs. The idea is not to adopt mass-marketed and standardized marketing and sales strategies globally, but to customize and adapt them specifically, working together with our sales partners to define them. There are markets in crisis, even in Europe, and during times of crisis, as by the book, we invest not only in product quality and technology but also in process innovation, which is less visible but guarantees and consolidates the results. We strengthen our partnership with our partners, give an input to our ideas, and invite everyone to a brainstorming session. This is what we did in the second half of this year, asking ourselves, how should we move forward together? We search together for ways to get out of the difficulties and improve. Communication is important; it must be studied, reasoned, and structured”.

Funzionamento del sistema H.A.R.S. (Hot Air Recovery System)

Currently, there are still two major challenges that are also affecting the laundry market: the rising energy costs and the ongoing difficulty in finding skilled workforce. How are you planning to cope with these needs?

“We design and manufacture our machines based on the premise that sustainability is an essential factor. Our machines are equipped with various solutions specifically designed and structured for energy savings. At the last edition of Texcare International trade fair held in Frankfurt we focused on energy saving, and more specifically on H.A.R.S. – the patented PONY Hot Air Recovery System for the recovery of the hot air produced by the shirt finisher. This combines two advantages: reduced energy impact through heat recovery and high performance, as cycle times are shortened thanks to a more efficient air-flow system inside machine. This is a practical example of product engineering that translates into both increased productivity and significant energy savings, contributing to sustainability. Many customers are asking us about the energy consumption of our products. Pony stands out as a leader in this regard. We offer a wide range of competitive solutions on all product categories. These solutions are not recent innovations but the result of many years of research and development, a real evolution of professional ironing machinery”.

On which product or product line are you planning to focus in 2025?

“We always start from the premise of designing the right product for the most suitable market. We need to structure highly effective sales strategies. Therefore, we will focus on all our products rather than on one in particular. As for the end user, we aim to enhance our support and assistance, helping customers understand that Pony provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging service, supporting them in their business. Pony is synonymous with quality, and in this regard, we want to make operators’ work easier by increasingly focusing on ironing automation. Our idea is to continue designing and producing high-quality machines. Of course, we pay attention to the number of garments processed in a certain time unit, but we don’t get dazzled by miraculous solutions”, concludes Andrea Astolfi.

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