2018 ended with a new piece added to the puzzle that Finlogic, a company active in the Information Technology sector with complete solutions for the coding and automatic identification of products, is building to strengthen its leading position in the Italian market. A new acquisition with an agreement for 51% of the company Smart lab industrie 3d, an active start-up in the field of 3D printing. An agreement that opens up new opportunities for the company, led by Dino Natale, thanks to the collaboration of the start-up founded, among others, by Leonardo Pisanello, in an unexplored market segment: that of additive manufacturing. How does the acquisition of Smart Lab 3d industries fit into Finlogic's growth strategy? Natale: During 2018 Finlogic made several acquisitions, and every time like the last; to add technological products to our offer. The last six months of 2018 were significant for us and showed a 53% increase in the impact of these products on revenues. This scenario also includes the acquisition of 51% of Smart Lab, aimed precisely at further strengthening our technological footprint. It is a gamble that opens up a new market segment and involves important developments. What are the market prospects? Natale: The automatic interconnection between objects and people is one of the pillars on which the market of the future rests. From the union with the skills of Finlogic in the field of automatic identification, and Smart Lab for 3D printing, we are sure that important answers can be derived in this direction. Pisanello: Smart Lab has always had an approach more linked to automation than to the hardware part. Our vision, shared by Finlogic, starts from the desire to combine the principles of industry 4.0 with automation. This combination still has unexpressed potential. The 3D printing market, according to estimates, is operating at sustained growth rates. The partnership with Finlogic will allow us to seize the opportunities that derive from it, arriving at solutions that will allow us to optimise every production process that is directly linked to the advantages of production in 3D printing. What are the next steps? Natale: From January we will start our cross-selling strategy that will extend to our customer portfolio the offer of new services implemented through the acquisition of the start-up. We aim to extend to our customers the technologies implemented with the entry of Smart Lab. Growth in Italy or abroad? Natale: Our reference market remains in Italy, also for future acquisitions. The adhesive market is fragmented and scalable. Furthermore, here are the competences to grow the sector. Pisanello: The data relative to the growth estimates of the 3D printing market shows that Europe represents a leading scenario, with a 250% slice. From the point of view of these pieces of technology, among other things, and among the different European countries, it is Italy that demonstrates a greater level of awareness among entrepreneurs, and maturity, as well as competences. What will 2019 bring to Finlogic? Natale: We will continue to grow through acquisitions, keeping intact the strategy that we have been following to date that will allow us to enter the capital market with a majority share, and leaving the founders of the companies in the management positions for the thorough knowledge that they have. We are also interested in acquisitions of larger companies that will allow us to accelerate our growth path. For the M & A strategy we are focusing mainly in Italy, we have also identified some companies abroad but the Italian market remains a priority.