TECSYSTEM SHANGHAI: Italian excellence meets Asian dynamism

An entrepreneurial adventure that has been uniting Milan and Shanghai in the sign of innovation since 2011

It was in 2008 when Cesare Campisi, during an exploratory trip to Asia, realised the enormous potential that that market could offer TECSYSTEM. Three years later, in September 2011, that vision became reality with the opening of TECSYSTEM SHANGHAI.

A winning bet

'At first it really seemed like a leap in the dark,' admits Campisi, today the Group's Chief Operating Officer. The path was not an easy one: we first landed in Hong Kong as an operational base to obtain the necessary licences, then we finally chose Shanghai as our final location.

Lucy Zhao, current General Manager, still remembers the first meeting: 'I was the first person to welcome Mr Campisi when he arrived to open the branch. Since that day, we have built this reality together'. From an initial nucleus of four people, TECSYSTEM SHANGHAI now has 17 highly specialised employees - although, as the Italian colleagues joke, "Lucy and Jimmy alone, for their expertise and experience, is worth five!"

The cultural and technological challenge

'I had over twenty years of experience in temperature control,' Campisi says, 'but here I had to start from scratch. I knew the technology, but the business rules were completely different. Shanghai is not like the rest of the world - it needed humility and a willingness to learn'.

This open-mindedness proved to be the key to success. TECSYSTEM SHANGHAI did not just replicate the Italian model, but was able to adapt it to local needs while maintaining the same quality standards. ‘Our Chinese customers initially expected lower prices, as is the local tradition,’ explains Lucy, "but Mr Campisi changed the rules of the game by focusing on very high quality. And it worked.

Resilience and continued growth

In 2020, the pandemic came and changed the world. "We closed for two months, but customers needed us," Lucy recalls. "First a colleague came back, then gradually everyone else. We implemented strict safety protocols and found new ways of working." The result? A 30% increase in turnover in full Covid.

Today TECSYSTEM SHANGHAI serves not only the Chinese market but the whole of Asia: Indonesia, Singapore, Korea, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Cambodia. The company has participated in prestigious projects such as the Shanghai Pudong Airport Terminal and in 2019 received the Panda d'Oro award for its contribution to Italian-Chinese industrial cooperation.

Innovation and recognition

2024 brought an important recognition: certification as a technology SME by the Chinese Ministry of Industry. "We already have 11 patents and 6 software patents," Lucy points out proudly. "For three years we have been preparing to become a national high-tech company. That is our goal for the future."

The value of collaboration

Gabriele, Tecsystem's contact person for the subsidiaries' communication, has no doubts: "Tecsystem Shanghai's colleagues are a great added value not only for their personal availability (to avoid time zones slowing down communication with Italy, they often answer emails even outside working hours) but also for their great technical expertise: in many projects they have provided us with valuable suggestions, modifying initial ideas together with us. added value".

Looking to tomorrow

"Elisabetta Conca and Cesare Campisi continue to support us with a vision that combines deep knowledge of local needs and global standards," says Lucy. "We are inspired by the legacy of founder Roberto Conca: true success comes from solid principles, not just excellent products.

The goal is clear: to continue to grow as a technological and cultural bridge between Italy and Asia. "Each new challenge makes us stronger," Lucy concludes. "We shape the future of temperature control, one degree at a time. And we do it together, combining the best of two worlds."

TECSYSTEM SHANGHAI: rooted in China, driven by Italian expertise, connected to the world.