A sales office just for export: how Cutlite Penta sells around the world
Since 2024 Cutlite Penta has had a sales department that works only on foreign markets. In the meantime three new offices have opened, in Germany, Poland and Spain, while production has stayed in Tuscany.
Chiara Tedesco Maida, Foreign Backoffice Manager and International Inside Sales Coordinator, and Gabriel Iacopini, one of the first hires in the new office, tell us how it works. A department built to give structure to the from Tuscany to the world drive Cutlite Penta has always had.
Interview with Chiara: the international growth of Cutlite Penta
Chiara, how did this new department come about?
“In 2024 we set up a sales department dedicated entirely to export, to handle both ordinary back office work and the scouting of new prospects and gathering of pre-sales information. It is there to make the early stage and the negotiation easier for the sales network, the country managers and the foreign dealers. I am glad to be part of this team as Foreign Backoffice Manager and International Inside Sales Coordinator.”
What does your work consist of?
“Each member of the team follows a specific country, but the contacts coming in from the website are many and from different countries. So the team splits them, works on the ones assigned to them and enters the data into the CRM for future negotiations. The follow-up and the updating of customer feedback is crucial to keep the picture current and to always be there for them.” In practice, the work looks like this:
- One country per person: every team member has their own markets.
- Sorting the contacts that come in from the website, often from very different countries.
- Data into the CRM, so that today's enquiry can be looked up in tomorrow's negotiation.
- Follow-up and feedback updates, the part that keeps the relationship alive.
What was your own path at Cutlite Penta?
“I started working at Cutlite Penta in 2020. I come from the world of luxury hotels, from concierge and front desk. Laser cutting turned out to be a stimulating world straight away, but it was completely new to me. My path started at the front desk, and after a few months I moved to the Export-Italy sales department. Thanks to languages and to my own aptitude I was able to bring attention and care to the customer and to their negotiations: I worked on mixing the skills from my previous experience with this new commercial context.”
Tell us about the international expansion of Cutlite Penta
“As our presence around the world grew, so did the number of international trade shows and of tailor-made customer visits to the company. The United States and Europe became strategic markets thanks to events such as FABTECH, Blechexpo and EuroBLECH.”
“Northern Europe has grown a lot in recent years, through the development of a widespread sales network. We opened new operating offices in Germany, Poland and Spain to give customers direct local support, and we strengthened the relationship with the structures already in place in America and France.” Three offices were opened in those years:
- Germany: Cutlite Deutschland GmbH, in Ludwigsburg.
- Poland: Cutlite Poland, in Macierzysz.
- Spain: Cutlite Penta Ibérica, in Barcelona.
“All of this increased the procedures and the workload in the sales office, and that is why we decided to create one dedicated to foreign markets. Production, though, stays in Italy, in the Tuscan plants.” The full list of offices is on the Contacts page.
How has Cutlite Penta changed over these years?
“When I joined, the company was much smaller. What I appreciate most is that, despite the growth, relationships between people still count: we know each other and we talk to each other, and we have not lost that.”
“One crucial part is the pre-sales experience, which includes visits to our sites designed around the customer: we arrange the overnight stays, the travel and the visit to our other sites in Tuscany. We want the customer to step into our world, taking care of every detail and building real collaboration.”
“The running test and after-sales matter just as much. Some customers already know our products; for others it is essential to come here and test the system as soon as it is finished, before delivery. It is an opportunity they value, and it strengthens trust in our work. My job is stimulating and fast-moving, but also demanding: the daily challenges, even the hardest ones, always teach me something.”
Interview with Gabriel: the new intake
Gabriel, tell us about yourself and your role at Cutlite Penta
“I am a native French speaker and I was one of the first people hired for the new export sales office. My main job is prospect research through LinkedIn, the website and the lists provided by the country managers. I contact potential customers, assess their needs and their projects, and then put them in touch with the sales people who carry the sale forward.”
Your first trade show was Machineering, in Brussels. How did it go?
“It was really interesting. Everything felt new, and I got to meet the managers of Cutlite Penta France and Fiber Laser Benelux in person. The most stimulating part was learning a great deal directly from the technicians. And it was good to meet face to face the customers I usually only speak to on the phone. I can't wait to take part in more events like this.” Machineering is held at Brussels Expo every two years and is the meeting point for mechanical engineering in the Benelux.
What are your impressions of the company, and your hopes for the future?
“What pushed me to join Cutlite Penta was the idea of being part of a new project, started from scratch, with a lot of room to grow. I would like to keep strengthening the relationships with the foreign offices, above all in the French area. I think this is a company with a lot of potential and I could not be happier with the path I have taken. Looking ahead, Cutlite Penta will keep investing in people and resources, both in technology and market expansion and in customer care.”
Frequently asked questions
Since when has Cutlite Penta had a sales office dedicated to export?
Since 2024. It handles ordinary back office work, the scouting of new prospects and the gathering of pre-sales information, supporting the sales network, the country managers and the foreign dealers.
Which foreign offices does Cutlite Penta have?
In recent years offices opened in Germany (Cutlite Deutschland, in Ludwigsburg), Poland (Cutlite Poland, in Macierzysz) and Spain (Cutlite Penta Ibérica, in Barcelona), alongside the structures already active in America and France. The full list is on the Contacts page of the website.
Where are Cutlite Penta machines manufactured?
In Italy, in the Tuscan plants. The sales network has spread abroad, but production has not moved: it is the Made in Italy value the company keeps alongside its international growth.
What is a running test?
It is the test of the finished system, carried out at our plant before delivery with the customer present. It lets you see your own machine at work before it leaves for its destination.
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