This ‘fi-compass Showcase 2019’ submission is a video story about Metalcontrol, a small mechanic company from Poviglio, Reggio Emilia in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. The company received financial support through the region’s Energy Fund and used it to finance the technological transformation of the company’s facilities. This included the change of all lighting units in the company to new LED technology-based lighting in order to reduce the company’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The Energy Fund is a financial instrument co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and part of Emilia-Romagna ERDF ROP 2014-2020. In the video, Federica Marmiroli, Chief Coordinator of Metalcontrol, explains how potential energy efficiency measures were identified in the company. The company is planning to use the resources of the Energy Fund also for future energy efficiency projects: “Thanks to the Energy Fund, the company has the opportunity, in the coming years, to further invest in its energy efficiency project, in line with our growth goals, with significant eco-friendly and sustainable approach.”

This ‘fi-compass Showcase 2019’ submission is a video story about Gomedia Satcom, an innovative start-up company founded in 2016 and based in Catania, Sicily, in the South of Italy. The company offers satellite connectivity services through the use of a new technology called Noise Reduction System (NRS).

Gaetano Morena, Managing Director of Gomedia Satcom, explains: “The difference and our competitive advantage lies in the speed of the services we deliver.” The company received a low-interest loan of over EUR 800 000 from Fondo Rotativo Smart&Start, a financial instrument co-financed with resources from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the National Operational Program ‘Enterprise and Competitiveness 2014-2020’, to further develop its business.

Marco Terzago, Partner at Gomedia Satcom, says: “This funding package has enabled us to reach out to new clients and to expand our services even more, building on what was already a good service. But, without this European funding we wouldn’t have been able to grow our market any further.”

The video includes a practical demonstration on how the satellite connection is established with Gomedia Satcom’s solutions.

This ‘fi-compass Showcase 2019’ submission is a video story from Croatia about the family-owned company Termostroj, founded 30 years ago and producing electric boilers for central heating and many other purposes. The company exports mainly to technologically demanding markets for over 20 years now. With the help of the loan from the financial instrument ‘ESIF Growth and Expansion Loans’ co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), Termostroj could buy new equipment and build a new part of the production hall and modernise the existing one, resulting in increased capacity and improvement in the quality of its products. Nina Roglić, Director of Termostroj, says: “With help of ESIF Growth and Development Loans we have been given the opportunity to compete better in the European and world markets.” The ESIF financial instrument ‘ESIF Growth and Expansion Loans’ is being implemented by the fund of funds manager, the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR), via 3 commercial banks. The video explains also the overall allocation of the loan instrument, the range of available loans, the type and sectors of potential final recipients, how the loans are being financed as well as their interest rate.

This ‘fi-compass Showcase 2019’ submission is a video story from Croatia about the family-owned printing house Denona which is active mainly in the field of soft and hard cover book printing and exists for already 27 years.

With the loan from the financial instrument ‘ESIF Growth and Expansion Loans’ co-financed by the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), Denona was able modernise its printing department by buying new printing equipment. In addition, further departments will also be modernised and new workers hired and trained. This investment will enable the company to lower its prices as the new equipment generates savings, and to offer its clients even more competitive deadlines. Through this investment, Denona aims to also further increase the export share in its operating revenues from its clients from abroad.

Maria Denona Gorički, Head of Finance at Denona, says: “ESIF Growth and Expansion Loans are a great thing and give entrepreneurs the opportunity to make savings and invest further in their business and their employees.”The ESIF financial instrument ‘ESIF Growth and Expansion Loans’ is being implemented by the fund of funds manager, the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR), via 3 commercial banks.

The video explains also the overall allocation of the loan instrument, the range of available loans, the type and sectors of potential final recipients, how the loans are being financed as well as the their interest rate.