In 1966, Riccardo Delfini Mechelli founded Delfini & Cía. Ltda. (Delta) and drove the technification of the aquaculture sector with its pumping equipment.
“He gave innovation to the pumping systems of the shrimp sector, becoming a global reference in engineering through the creation and manufacture of hydraulic equipment that let Ecuador gain a lot of respect.”
The words above expressed a small tribute that the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) shared at Aquaexpo during October 2021. The words were dedicated to the well-known entrepreneur Riccardo Delfini Mechelli, founder of Delta Delfini, an Ecuadorian company based in Guayaquil.
Mr. Delfini Mechelli also received that year an honorary doctorate by Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (Espol) for his professional trajectory and socio-economic contribution.
He was born on February 5, 1940, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a former Italian colony; his parents were Enrico Delfini Incarnati, a civil engineer, and Gabriella Mechelli Basili, a school teacher.
He was married to María Elvira Matheus Ponce and had three children: María Elvira, Riccardo, and Gabriella. He completed his professional training at Michigan Technological University in the United States of America. He graduated as an electrical engineer and followed postgraduate studies in physics, nuclear engineering, and advanced mathematics.
In Ecuador, his professional activity began at Espol University, where he taught Power and Distribution Electrical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. At the age of 26, he was the director of the Electrical Engineering Department. Later on, he promoted the Electronic Engineering career program.
In 1966, he founded the engineering company Delfini & Cía. Ltda. (Delta), along with his father and brothers Alfonso and Francesco. His contribution to the aquaculture sector dealt primarily with the design and manufacture of high-flow pumps and industrial refrigeration equipment for shrimp processing plants.
“When aquaculture industry development started in Ecuador, we saw an opportunity to contribute to this industry growth by developing local manufactured pumping equipment. At that time in Ecuador, all pumps in the country were manufactured abroad and Delta aimed to offer this sector a highly efficient equipment designed to operate in seawater. In 1978, we began our bibliographic and experimental research to achieve said goal, offering to the market the first commercially available pumps in the early 1980s,” said Delfini to the specialized magazine Aquacultura in October 2022.
Delfini stated that his major contribution was to have actively served the aquaculture sector not only in developing highly efficient and high-quality pumping equipment, but also in successfully improving and providing technology to many shrimp farms. Delta pumping systems have accomplished excellence in their performance due to his continuous research, thus providing significant energy and economic savings for the sector, according to CNA estimates.
However, the entrepreneur also faced challenges in his area. One of those took place during the white spot shrimping crisis in the 1990s, which affected the entire shrimp sector, leading to a significant reduction in pumping equipment demand in the local market.
Nevertheless, thanks to international market demand in which Delta had already entered by then, the company was able to overcome this difficult period. His company sought to increase sales in the international market and so Ecuadorian pump exports to other countries gradually increased. As a result of this international approach, Delta has pumps operating in 26 countries around the world, and the exports of these equipment represent between 40% and 50% of its production.
One of his last messages for the shrimp sector was immortalized in the publication of the magazine Aquacultura:
“We live in times where, as it was not often before, energy costs have become a critical factor that affect companies’ profitability worldwide. This situation has been worse because of what is happening in Europe in these moments. In this sense, and in relation to the shrimp sector, I must emphasize that the efficiency of pumping equipment has a significant impact on farm operation costs,” Delfini Merchella said.
Several companies and associations lamented Delfini’s passing. Espol University, the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters (Fedexpor), the Ecuadorian Federation of Metal Industries, Ecuadorian Metallurgical Sector (Fedimetal), and José Antonio Camposano president of CAN, highlighted Delfini’s work. “It was an honor to have known a model entrepreneur who stood out in the shrimp sector thanks to his ingenuity, wisdom, and ability to develop cutting-edge technology that boosts our industry today,” he highlighted on his Twitter account.
Delfini passed away on Tuesday, July 25, 2022, at the age of 83, leaving a legacy in the Ecuadorian and global aquaculture industry.
Reference: https://www.eluniverso.com/guayaquil/comunidad/camara-de-comercio-italiana-del-ecuador-reconoce-aporte-de-empresarios-nota/
