LF’s founder recognized the market for spare parts in the professional cooking field before it even existed and established the company in 1982. “LF took a gigantic leap forward when Ing. Vittorio Ricci took over as CEO in 1995,” reveals Head of Marketing and Communication Guido Petronici.

“He decided to adopt a very simple but also very ambitious and difficult to achieve strategy:

• Original/industrial quality
• One-stop shop
• Just in time
• Own an efficient sale organization worldwide
• Best up to date logistic technology, processes and tools
• Develop the opportunities of internet and give all Customers access to a very fast and powerful tool to research and purchase spare parts and accessories

This winning strategy is still our main line which we constantly enhance.”

Today LF supplies worldwide, by an export base of 70%, spare parts for professional kitchens, catering companies, restaurants, bars and supermarkets. “We provide the parts for commercial cooking systems, dishwashers, refrigeration, laundry, bar equipment and the like,” Mr. Petronici explains. “The offer covers original parts from all manufacturers or repro parts of equivalent quality. There are 100,000 parts in our catalogue and 1.4 million products in our database.”

The automated warehouse was expanded this year to offer 6,700 m² of storage space

To accommodate all these items, the company doubled the size of its automated warehouse this year to 6,700 m² and installed the automatic storage system nr. 5. All this has made LF the leading European company in its market.

“Our strength clearly lies in the fast availability of the necessary spare parts,” Mr. Petronici affirms. “It allows us to get the businesses we serve up and running again as quickly as possible.” About 40,000 of the most commonly required spare parts are always in stock, and another 2.5 million can be acquired from cooperating suppliers. “We can supply customers in Europe within 24 hours, when parts are available in stock” he continues. “We need about 48 to 72 hours for customers in the USA. If the order reaches us by 3:00 p.m., it can be delivered to the customer the next day. We can guarantee that by having 97% availability of the spare parts.” LF’s packaging is another plus point.

All parts single packed with barcode label ensure a fast identification and stock management for the customers and long term protection from dirt and pollution, preserving the original quality of the items.
“The shipping packaging reflects many years of experience and we take great care that the spare parts arrive safely and without damages to our customers.” Mr. Petronici points out.

The spare parts specialist serves maintenance firms and repair companies, as well as maintenance organizations for supermarkets and any other repair firms that cooperate with commercial kitchens, laundry or bars. To find these customers, LF attends about 15 fairs a year worldwide, such as the HOST in Milan. Its exports amount to 70%, going to 96 countries around the globe via representatives and branch offices, which the company has acquired successively since 2000.

The LF group, which is a corporation owned by private investors, employs 250 people in total, with 110 working at the headquarters in Cesena. Other locations include France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, China, Russia, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Balcan Countries, Baltic Countries, South Korea, Turkey, USA and Canada. All the branches together generate turnover of 50 million EUR a year.

LF and the head of marketing and communication are optimistic about the future, considering the company’s constant growth since its establishment, even during times of crisis.

“Spare parts are always in demand,” Mr. Petronici says. “Without them, our customers can’t operate or serve their customers.” Thanks to LF, the worldwide supply of spare parts is increasing, as the first few months of the year confirmed. “We’re continuing to invest in our warehouse and offices, and we’re expanding our activities,” Mr. Petronici points out. “Spare parts supply is gaining importance in the hospitality sector, and we’re there to support it.”