40 years and growing

Sep 14, 2016

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Pride and excitement at Lameplast Group’s 40th anniversary party: in May, customers, officials and employees gathered to celebrate together with the management a major milestone on a road paved with commitment, pragmatism and dreams.

At Lameplast’s headquarters in Rovereto sulla Secchia, the concern celebrated 40 years in business with spirited participation by all who were invited. The guests of honor were the employees, some of whom have worked for the concern for over 30 years, along with government officials and representatives of major institutions (the president of the Emilia-Romagna Region Stefano Bonaccini was in attendance, as well as Confindustria Modena head Valter Caiumi, mayor of Novi di Modena Luisa Turci and mayor of S. Agata Bolognese Giuseppe Vicinellli).
The event also served as an occasion to recall core values and important moments in the history of a concern which, thanks to the initiative of its founders - Giovanni Ferrari, Evro Fabbri and Antonio Fontana - has managed to bring the innovation and excellence of Made in Italy to the rest of the world.
Founded in 1976 in Carpi (Modena), Lameplast specializes in the production and filling of plastic containers (monodose and multidose strips, flacons, droppers) for major brands in the cosmetic and pharmaceuticals industries.

A winning vision
In the words of Ferrari, the concern’s chairman: «A noble history always starts with a place and a tradition», and that of Lameplast is a history of entrepreneurial foresight and a commitment to creating economic and social value in a region in which the concern has laid deep roots and with which it has managed to share growth prospects. It’s almost as though the concern has found its most vital reaffirmation in times of crisis. For example, in 2012, an earthquake devastated the heart of the concern’s production operations, causing serious damage to its buildings, warehouses and facilities. The devastation was followed by an immediate and almost surprising responsiveness: in just one month, working out of shipping containers set up in the parking lots of the factory, thanks to the commitment of employees and management driven by an adamant team spirit, Lameplast managed to restart production, turning the reconstruction efforts into an opportunity for renewal.
It was also Ferrari, visibly moved, who recounted this experience: «Today we celebrate a history which I am proud to share with my partners and all the workers. Four years later, we can proudly declare that we have overcome an extremely trying test, justifying our belief that we can keep on growing».

Official recognitions. Regional president Bonaccini also specifically addressed the earthquake and the response of the region’s concerns: «The earthquake struck thousands of homes, churches, schools, public buildings and industrial facilities. It was the first “economic earthquake” in Italy’s history. Never before had a single earthquake affected so many enterprises. I believe that Lameplast has provided a tangible example of what has been referred to as the Emilia-Romagna miracle, demonstrating the excellence of our enterprises not only to the rest of Italy but to the rest of the world, without ever losing touch with the local community».
Confindustria Modena president Valter Caiumi took up the thread to affirm how, just as happened when the earthquake struck, only by joining forces was it possible to overcome the long economic crisis: «The workers of this region have made it possible to put these concerns back on track, because in order to do business we certainly need entrepreneurship, but also the social fabric in which it operates and which in this region is itself an active operator. It’s therefore by no means a coincidence that multinationals and investment funds have invested in this region. But in order to continue growing, the concerns of Emilia-Romagna must know how to change, invest and find products that stand apart. And joining forces is essential to facing forward».

And lastly... The guests toured the Lameplast facility where, in 1980, the first monodose strip for eye solutions was created, before gathering at Villa Tagliata (in Mirandola), where the event culminated in the delicious flavors of an exclusive lunch, the screening of a video on the company’s history, speeches by some of the most elderly employees and that of Giorgio Bruno, president of the contract manufacturers’ group of Farmindustria, who wanted to honor «40 years of innovation and research by the Lameplast Group, which is now set to become an “enterprise 4.0”. By investing in development, it has managed to grow and thereby attract more investments».n

A double achievement
Stefano Lavorini
Gianni Ferrari and partners confirm themselves examples of common sense, a term that at an empirical level designates the “normal” intelligence of human things, common to each and every well balanced individual…normal, but looking around, all the same rare.
Visionaries certainly, but also as concrete as the rural culture that spawned them, they have managed to “invent” a product and a market, responding to reality with a positive spirit and with “simplicity”.
And it is the very will to continuous improvement, to consolidate their cooperation with customers - a true imperative for Ferrari - that over the years has led to their product innovation, but also to an evermore extensive and varied product offer.
Today in fact Lameplast Group means production of containers, including mould-, prototype and sample making (Lameplast), but also third party production and filling services, as well as the development of and research into parapharmaceutical products (COC Farmaceutici), the supply of machines for monodose filling (Pentafill) and, obviously, consultancy right across the board.
The same strength of will, the same faith in the future, as well as the sense of belonging to their local area and sincere ties to the workforce, with whom they have always shared a common destiny, April 2016 convinced the three partners to cede the entire company share package to the investment fund Aksìa Capital IV.
The operation was in fact carried out to guarantee the continuity of the business, an intent reiterated by the fact that the three founders will continue to head the group: Giovanni Ferrari as president and CEO, Antonio Fontana and Evro Fabbri as directors.
Quite frankly, you can’t do better than that. Well done.