UTTERSON FROM ELECTRONIC DEVICES TO THE COLOSSUS ZTE
by Francesco Paolucci
Utterson, based in Carsoli (L’Aquila), works throughout Italy in the world of electronics, information technology and telecommunications. Since 2018, it has had an important collaboration with the Chinese multinational Zte.
UTTERSON’S KNOW-HOW IN TLC
«Utterson, our company, was born in 2010 from a project of several years earlier – explains the general manager, Luca Ranalletta -. We try to offer a quality service in the world of electronics, information technology and telecommunications“. The name Utterson, in English, is borrowed from literature. Lawyer Utterson is a character in Stevenson’s famous novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. However, the company is entirely from Abruzzo, it has a thousand square meter headquarters in the industrial area of Carsoli (L’Aquila), one kilometer from the motorway exit, a crossroads between Rome, L’Aquila , Pescara and Cassino. Commitment throughout Italy, especially in the north-east of the country, and the prestigious collaboration with Zte Corporation, the Chinese multinational leader in the supply of telecommunications products and services. «Before talking about the partnership with ZTE, we need to retrace our path – explains Ranalletta -. In the first years of activity, the company’s core business was directed by the proximity of our structure to the historic headquarters of Olivetti, which, over time, designed and built the products sold to Lottomatica< /strong> for betting offices in Italy. In an initial phase we supported the assembly of these machines and, gradually, we entered into a real maintenance contract. Today all the products from the betting shops return to our office to be maintained». The startup phase, with a single customer and around ten employees, was decisive for the formation of an important know-how in the telecommunications sector. Then a technical office took shape with specialized designers and established professionals in their sector, mainly electronics, firmware and software. A team of experts for the creation of electronic devices. «Then we designed, built and sold integrated telephone equipment to the Carabinieri for their offices throughout the peninsula – adds Giacomo Paris, sole director of Utterson -. In collaboration with leading players in the field of information technology, we have therefore come to have many customers, including prestigious ones such as the main law enforcement agencies and the Ministry of Justice.
UTTERSON’S ELECTRONIC PROJECTS
«More recently, we have evolved the electronic design on a “custom” basis, satisfying the customer’s needs. Single-function devices, therefore, but also centralized multifunctional systems shifted towards home automation to offer services necessary for carrying out the most diverse activities. The electronic device that we create arises from the need of interlocutors of various kinds: a start-up, a public administration or business customers. They are electronic devices related to daily use and aimed at what is now called the “internet of things”, devices that allow you to collect data and perform actions by automating processes”. Utterson, therefore, passes from the customer’s request or from an internal need to an electronic, software and mechanical design. This leads to the prototype and the product industrialization step. «The dynamics to go from a project or a prototype to industrial production are not trivial dynamics – continues Paris -. We have a lot of experience on those dynamics. All projects must be followed in detail up to the executive with detailed documentation, which then moves on to the production lines, tests and inspections before shipping the product to the end user. Even the planning of the design and packaging is fundamental for us. If a product is not thought out down to the last detail, the product fails. Even the smallest screw is decisive for the most important device in the world».
ELECTRONICS FROM “A” TO “Z” WITH UTTERSON
Utterson, therefore, embraces the entire electronic product supply chain. From design to post-use maintenance, but also carries out the assembly of existing products rather than the installation of already manufactured and industrialized products. «In 2018, Zte Corporation took over, for which we are the reference suppliers for Wind3 for the implementation of 5G – the CEO is keen to clarify < strong>Luca Ranalletta -. We also build the system that runs the device that ZTE designed and supplied to us to give 5G connectivity to mobile devices. We then install these devices that the Chinese company has sold to various telephone operators, in our case on the Wind3 radio bridges. For ZTE, we cover central and north-eastern Italy (Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche, Emilia Romagna, Veneto and Friuli). In a few years we have gone from a single installation team to the current ten teams, coordinated by a technical manager and two operational managers for our two areas of expertise. We can say that Utterson is a supplier of primary importance for ZTE». Thanks to this service, Utterson has recorded a significant increase in turnover, which has almost tripled compared to previous periods. «Our business plan provides for a further increase – concludes Paris -. We have gone from ten to fifty employees and new hires of specialized figures are expected, but also of resources to be trained because, in some fields, we adopt a “training” policy. Furthermore, we also aim to double the current physical spaces, expanding our headquarters». In short, Utterson is in full ascent and the thing that leaves its mark is the attention and approach that this company seeks to have, from the small resistance of an electronic card to the installation of a base station.