Growth in the domestic market

CONVERTING Innova Group reports the best performance of its history and focuses on the domestic market, where it hopes to step up productivity with the help of an effective combo of investments in technology, costs control and harnessing synergies within the group.

Innova Group (COB- Carte Ondulate Bresciane, Innovacart, IBO Ondulati, San Felice Imballaggi and Polikart Imballaggi) has closed 2012 with its third consecutive year of growth, with an 11% increase in turnover and a 23% increase in volume. This performance, already a remarkable achievement by itself, is all the more impressive in consideration of the fact that most of its conquests were made in the domestic market, which as is known, has been languishing for some time already. At the concern’s usual early summer press conference, managing director Stefano Pedrotti emphasizes this point: «We have overcome some record hurdles during a time in which Italy’s GDP has been negative for five consecutive years, excepting only 2010. And today we are planning our future in an even more daunting economic climate, in which it will be a challenge not only to maintain the growth rate of these last years, but also simply making reliable projections for the end of the year».

Political uncertainty, difficult access to credit, rising taxes, but also higher energy costs than other countries and the steadily rising price of paper, at the mercy of international forces, are the main obstacles. Nor, to be realistic, can any improvement be expected in the short term, comments Pedrotti: «Just consider that Italian cardboard production has dropped by 3% in volume, but, paradoxically, the price of the raw material continues to rise, by 15-16% in early 2013 (and pulp even more so than virgin fiber). This problem is exacerbated by the fact that a simple product like cardboard, in which transport costs sigificantly contribute to the total, finds no outlet abroad, and so our field of action is limited to the national, or even regional confines».

In this context, the Pedrotti brothers are re-launching a strategy based on action in all fields, developed with systematic coherence and relying on three foundations: enhanced productivity thanks to constantly updated technologies, an “almost obsessive” costs control and harnessing the synergies that form within an integrated paper converter (IBO sells 70% of the board it produces to other concerns of the group). In such a way, the Pedrottis carry out a positive management, sustained by an attentive and interactive commercial presence, which from January to May of this year signed on 123 new customers, as well as by the involvement of the group’s 204 employees, who are linked to the company by a sense of belonging and participation.

A Mastercut for Verona
Innova Group is thus able to grow, even in a market of “proximity”, thanks to its complete offer of products and services with competitive deals. The group’s core business continues to be standard board packaging, usually the 5 or 6 color flexo printed box, «Even though the share of “special” products has been growing. For this reason - states Diego Pedrotti - we have not hesitated in focusing on updating the technologies that enhance productivity. From 2005 to 2012, we invested approximately 43 million euro, both to expand production sites and, most importantly, to acquire cutting-edge machinery, capable of “making the difference” in terms of product quality, costs containment and flexibility of production and service.

And after the Mitsubishi corrugator at IBO and the internal logistics automation at Innovacart, this year was the turn of the Mastercut 145per by Bobst, also for Innovacart’s Verona facility».
Stefano refers to it as «the best die-cutter in existence in terms of adaptability, speed and precision» and lists its salient features, starting with a speed of 9,500 sheets/h and an automatic register system, noting that «for working with non-stop cycles the machine features an automatic logistics system and non-stop infeed sheet loading».

But the entrepreneur’s full attention is for the Swiss builder’s patented Power Register 2. Using special videocameras positioned at the machine’s entrance, the register system reads the print markings on the 4 corners of the sheet and transmits the relative data to the “smart feeder”, which automatically activates tool positioning. «In previous machines - Pedrotti comments - centering was purely mechanical, with a 2 mm margin of error, while with Mastercut alignment is perfect».
The autoplaten at Innovacart is set up with double waste stripping stations and is connected via web to Bobst assistance, so as to enable technical interventions in real-time.                                      

Forty years of IBO A book to celebrate the anniversary of IBO Ondulati and to commemorate the character and entrepreneurial astuteness of Giovanni Pedrotti. Antique photographs and benchmarks, legdgerbooks and memories: of his wife Giuliana and his children Diego, Gianluca and Stefano, who now run the enterprise… and, in between the lines, tenacity and sacrice, far-sightedness and plain speech, the generosity of a man who chose not to celebrate his own achievements. In the picture, the original facility, with the first 50 meter corrugator, and how it looks today, following the installation of the new 130 m Mitsubishi with 2,800 m light. With this machine, IBO’s productivity has surpassed 100 million m2/year.