Ilma and SCM: a partnership renewed along the road to innovation
- Technologies for houses and construction elements
A collaboration that brings together experience and technology to accelerate timber construction: with SCM’s “area” CNC machining centre, Ilma Group expands production capacity, flexibility and market share.
Sometimes a professional journey can hold unexpected surprises – encounters that return over time and, years later, take on new meaning. This perfectly sums up the experience of Marco Alberani, CEO of Ilma Group. After taking his first career steps at SCM in the 1990s, Alberani has crossed paths with the company once again, this time not as an employee, but as a customer.
Following several managerial roles in leading industrial companies in Italy and abroad, Alberani acquired Ilma in 2022 and chose SCM as a strategic partner to support the company’s growth.
“I started my career at a company within the SCM Group and have always recognised its flexibility and quality,” Alberani explains. “I left SCM in ’97, and today I still find the same DNA: the same solid principles of product design and manufacturing, now enhanced by new technologies.”
From the roof to the complete house
Founded in the province of Cuneo and historically known as a specialist in timber roofing systems, Ilma has embarked on a path of expansion, with today’s offering focused on complete structures and off-site construction systems.
The entry of engineer Marco Alberani and the investment group Orienta Capital Partners in 2022 marked the start of an ambitious expansion plan, which led to the acquisition of Fas Serramenti, specialising in timber and aluminium windows and doors, and Leap Factory, active in the production of prefabricated buildings.
Under the leadership of Alberani and the new shareholders, Ilma Group has accelerated its development in the timber construction sector, evolving from a craft-based company into a structured and fast-growing industrial group.
From 2022 to today, Ilma Group has tripled its figures: more than 100 employees and a turnover of around €30 million, with technology investments accounting for over 12% of annual revenues.
The company has strengthened its presence in Northern Italy and launched projects in Switzerland, France and outside Europe, also thanks to a network of local dealers. Recent projects include schools, public buildings, villas and tourist complexes, among them a five-star hotel currently under construction at high altitude in Champoluc, entirely made of wood.
“What sets us apart is our focus on offering a complete service,” Alberani explains. “We aim to provide all the products and services required by the timber construction industry. Our choices have allowed us to gain market share and meet every customer requirement.”
As much as 95% of the product’s value is created in the factory: an industrial approach that reduces on-site installation times and opens up new markets, including international ones.
Technology as a strategic lever
For Alberani, standing out in a highly competitive market such as timber construction is not about price, but about technology:
“If you want to build the future, you have to do something others don’t. Either you create a unique design or you invest in technology. This is the philosophy I found again at SCM: constantly pushing towards the highest level of innovation.”
The partnership with SCM stems from a dual need, both technical and strategic. On the one hand, the need to increase production capacity and develop new types of structures; on the other, the desire to rely on a brand renowned for reliability and innovation.
For these reasons, Alberani opted for a 5-axis “area” CNC machining centre, particularly suited to machining large elements such as X-Lam/CLT wall panels and straight or curved structural beams. Featuring a mobile gantry structure and modular configuration, the machine can process construction elements up to 4.5 m wide and up to 40 m long.
“We had very specific technical and product development requirements. Thanks to this solution, we were able to manufacture a whole range of structures that had previously been challenging for us: schools, hotels, swimming pools, major buildings that allowed us to enter markets where we had previously had limited presence.”
For Ilma, “area” proved to be a true turning point, delivering greater efficiency, precision and production flexibility, while enabling the manufacture of complex components in solid wood and X-Lam. This has paved the way for increasingly ambitious projects.
“Without this technology, we would not have been able to deliver many of our 2025 projects,” Alberani emphasises. “Cutting capacity, speed and flexibility have allowed us to expand production and gain new market share.”
Looking ahead with the same vision
For Alberani, the future lies in further strengthening this collaboration.
“We want to further implement the technical opportunities offered by SCM’s ‘area’. We will develop many more projects using X-Lam as the structural base: it is the core of our future growth.”
The synergy between Ilma and SCM is more than an industrial partnership: it is a story of continuity and trust, connecting past and future through a shared vision – building in an increasingly efficient, sustainable and innovative way.
“My relationship with SCM goes back many years, first as a professional and now as a customer, with complete satisfaction,” Alberani concludes. “Today, as in the past, SCM represents a guarantee of expertise, reliability and long-term vision.”
