At ABG Systems, people, with their skills, humanity, professionalism, courage, determination and willingness to put themselves at the disposal of an idea are the key factor in entrepreneurial success. They play a key role in the process that transforms the dream into concrete products and solutions, into a structured company, into a story to be told.
Today we would like to introduce Cristiano Vacchini, one of the people in ABG who has made and continues to make a difference, who has seen our company grow day by day, through the thick and thin. Cristiano is in charge of our software department and was the first full time employee to join ABG Systems 15 years ago.
Cristiano, you are truly an integral part of ABG Systems and one of the main reasons why we have grown into the company we are today. How does it feel to have reached the 15-year mark with the company?
When I think about it, it’s a surreal feeling. On one hand, time has flown by, but when I reflect on all that we have done and how much we have grown, I realize how much work it took for ABG to become what it is today, the commitment and responsibility we have put into this adventure. What a rewarding feeling.
What do you remember about the early days in ABG Systems?
It was 2009, I was 23 years old, my first job ever. Everything was new, I had no experience. I vividly remember the struggle we endured to establish ourselves in the market. RFiD technology was almost unknown at that time. Industrial laundries did not seem interested in investing in this technology. We were among the few who really believed in the potential of textile traceability-the pathway to success seemed steep, and the first few years were very stressful and challenging.
When did things change? When did you realize that textile traceability could really become the new frontier for industrial laundries?
Initially we dealt mostly with RFiD reading tunnels with HF technology. I used to program the software that complemented these systems. There was no standard, and that was a problem: customers were asking us to do experimental designs, for them and for us. The change came when people started talking about automatic uniform vending machines: from that moment it was clear which way to go. We began to invest in this development, and our evolution went hand in hand with the needs of a market that was beginning to understand the potential of this technology
How did you approach this new challenge, in practical terms?
In my case, my role as a programmer became much more complex – as I was tasked with creating a cutting edge platform with the ability to manage and control a fleet of machines, with all their differences and complexities.
After a few years, thanks to the experience I had gained, I realized that it was time for a radical change: we had to offer a different product, one that had a modern, intuitive UX (user experience), one that allowed our customers to “play” with the data they had, guaranteed centralized management of all customers’ machines, and allowed them to create customized reports independently. Our solutions had to offer the opportunity to support and interact with customers in a much simpler and more direct way: thus ONE, our management software, was born.
I am really proud of what we have achieved: thanks to relationships with customers and field experience, we have managed to create intuitive, predictive, and intelligent software capable of handling complex logic that greatly facilitates the work of laundries and makes textile logistics more efficient, linear and transparent.
If someone had told me a few years ago that our solutions would become indispensable even in sectors other than hospitals, I would not have believed it: today we work with industries in the food sector, gyms, and many others. The world is evolving. Not only those who handle textiles in a hospital environment, but also many other sectors have developed an important sensitivity and attention to hygiene standards, sustainability and efficient management of textile materials.
How has your role in ABG Systems changed over the years?
The first steps taken at ABG Systems were as a programmer. It has always been and still is my great passion. However, the increasing complexity of the work and the geographic expansion of ABG required an expansion of the team and greater specialization of each of its members: today I supervise all projects on the software side and head an office of 5 people, divided between support, programming and development of Web solutions.
How do you see yourself in 15 years? What do you wish you and ABG for the future?
I grew up with ABG Systems: the one thing that always puts a smile on my face, even on the hardest days, is the fact that I work in a place where the feeling of being part of a family has only grown over the years.
For the future, I can only hope that myself, and consequently the company, continue to grow further: to be able to embrace the changes that will come, to never stop learning and improving, to be a point of reference for newcomers, whom I wish to stay with us for another fifteen years, to think that the day will still come when there is a need for a revolution, and to know that we will be ready to make it.
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