Reading time: 2 minutes
What is the latest innovation in your product range and which problems does it solve?
Irene Carraro: Our latest product innovation is UFICore™, UFI’s new generation of engine air filtration for heavy duty applications, on and off-highway. It delivers very high filtration efficiency while reducing size and weight compared to conventional air filters. We currently offer around 11 part numbers covering approximately 500 applications. UFICore™has already been selected by major OEMs such as Mitsubishi Fuso for their OES products, and we are continuing to expand the range.
The industry is undergoing major transformation. Do you think partnerships will become more important in the future? Are you specifically looking for partnerships at the show?
Irene Carraro: Trade fairs like Automechanika Shanghai are important for meeting customers and partners from around the world. As the show becomes increasingly international, we are engaging with many potential customers, particularly from Southeast Asia, which is a key growth market for us.
Partnerships with OEMs are especially important. We work closely with them to develop new products and strongly believe in technology neutrality. While electrification is a major focus in the automotive industry, it is not the only path to sustainable mobility. Together with OEMs, we are also exploring solutions such as hydrogen-powered combustion engines. In these applications, filtration requirements remain largely aligned with those of conventional internal combustion engines. However, meeting those same requirements in a new context demands innovative solutions. This allows us to evolve our existing products, incorporating new technologies to ensure they perform reliably in next generation propulsion systems.
We are therefore expanding beyond electric vehicle solutions and see partnerships — with OEMs, aftermarket customers, ITGs (International Trading Groups) and technology partners — as increasingly essential. Supportive regulatory frameworks that encourage technology openness will in my opinion also play a key role in enabling innovation.
What are the biggest opportunities or challenges for your business in the next three to five years?
Irene Carraro: Electrified vehicles present both opportunities and challenges. While EVs require fewer filtration components, we see growth potential in areas such as cabin filtration, where we are expanding our portfolio and are already supplying the most important electric vehicles manufacturers worldwide
Further opportunities lie in emerging markets, particularly Southeast Asia, and in the heavy-duty segment. UFICore™plays a central role here, as we work closely with OEMs to develop a comprehensive product range for both on- and off-road applications.
At the same time, challenges such as tariffs, supply-chain resilience and raw material shortages remain significant. We are also relatively new to the US market and face additional complexity due to tariffs affecting our production sites in Brazil, Mexico and China. Overall, the market environment remains challenging.
