Concetti has recently opened a new Australian branch. ABHR speaks with Daniel and Trevor Mitford, the father and son duo who have helped launch the new branch.
Daniel Mitford always planned to return to the United Kingdom after he left for Concetti’s Italian headquarters. After six years and falling in love with Australia along the way, he is now the key technician in the company’s expansion.
The Italian company has opened a new branch in Newcastle, NSW, to strengthen its local presence.
He will head up the local technical support centre in Newcastle, which will provide professional technical support to customers in Australia and New Zealand.
Trevor Mitford, who serves as Concetti’s sales manager and Daniel’s father, said the UK’s loss was Australia’s gain with Daniel as a technician.
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“He is the perfect technician for Australia because of his character but also living in Italy for six years. At Concetti, we don’t just take on technicians and throw them straight out in front of customers,” Trevor told ABHR.
“We like to have them in the factory for a significant amount of time, and now we’re in a strong position to look after customers in Australia, New Zealand, and probably further afield.”
Before establishing himself in Australia, Daniel studied for six years at Concetti’s headquarters in Italy, where he learned his trade.
Being far from home and away from the comfort of friends and family, Daniel said Concetti invested heavily in him as a person and employee to make the Italian job work.
“You’ve gone from living at home and where you grew up, where your friends were and the comfort of home, [but] it is exciting, and it’s not an opportunity everyone gets; you’ve got to embrace it,” Daniel told ABHR.
“I can’t give enough credit to the guys at Concetti because I was a 21-year-old lad. I didn’t speak any Italian, and they could have easily left me to my own devices, but they took me in.
“They took me out for dinners and to football matches, and it was a good experience. I loved living there. It’s become my second home out of the many I have now. I’ll always look back and think it was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Daniel’s experience, in part, led to Concetti creating a program to take young technicians to its Italian factory and teach them the company’s methods before they went on to other destinations. After his time in Italy and a stint doing installations for Concetti in the UK, Daniel was part of the team that established Concetti Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
The company created a headquarters and spare parts warehouse in Sydney, strategically located to support its Australian and New Zealand customers. The spare parts warehouse is expected to house parts requiring a longer lead time and everything customers need to keep operations running. Concetti has expanded its presence further with the technical support centre in Newcastle.
“I think Concetti has a terrific product. We look after our customers really well and have a very good reputation, but I think the feedback we were getting from Australia was that we needed to be more present here,” Trevor said.
“So, it was important that we took that next step and supported our customers and grew more into the market. Step by step we look to the Australian market to be looked upon as almost as an Australian company.
“We have embraced that as early as we possibly could with the right skilled technician, the right character of technician and one that can integrate into the Australian market seamlessly.”
Daniel’s presence as the Australian technician for Concetti will provide customers with a link between Australia and the Italian headquarters.
He will provide that first level of technical support to Concetti’s Australian and New Zealand customers for technical issues, reports, or maintenance schedules.
The company also plans to have Daniel train new operators on Concetti equipment and support customers during the equipment testing process in Italy and the installation process in Australia.
Daniel said he plans to visit as many sites as possible to understand their key areas and build on existing customer relationships.
As part of his new role, Daniel will support customers’ internal maintenance teams to ensure contracts are kept to standard.
He will also support customers without maintenance teams who need assistance and recommendations on best practices.
“It will provide continuity to the customer working with a small group of people within a larger organisation,” Trevor said.
“[Daniel] can be that first level of the hotline, and where further support may be needed, Daniel can be the link to the head office and make it seamless and professional.”
Concetti has envisaged adding further technicians and sales support as its regional operations grow.
“The office is here mainly as a support mechanism, but as we move into the future, the office may grow with more technicians and sales and grow into a regional office,” Trevor said.
“It already encompasses New Zealand so that may grow into further areas as well. For us, it is a small step on a much longer journey.”