Innova Group towards 4.0 production

New investments, further empowerment of digital technologies, innovation, but also with an eye to environmental sustainability and local social initiatives. A snapshot of Innova Group at the time of the presentation of the 2018 annual budget. G.C.

The visit to the new Erbè factory with a futuristic design crowned the annual press meeting organized by Innova Group on October 1st. Characterized by unique technological and insulation solutions, designed to create the best environmental conditions for corrugated cardboard processing, the shed is spread over an area of 8,000 square meters  and it  is connected via a new handling system to the  Masterfold Bobst folder-gluer recently installed in the old factory.

«The new production structure is only the latest result of our constant commitment to innovation» explained Luca Pedrotti, director of Innova Group together with brothers Diego and Stefano who, with the support of their mother Giuliana, lead the group founded by their father Giovanni.

And the economic results confirm this.

Times are difficult, but the results are positive

The turnover of 2018 registered a growth of over 4% compared to the result of the previous year, exceeding 86 million euros, 2.5 million of which were made abroad with niche products. A positive balance, obtained despite the continuous increase in the cost of raw materials which, due to the will of the group, have not been offloaded onto the customer; as a result, net profit has decreased by 5%. Pedrotti also considers the first half of the current year to be positive and, while foreseeing some difficulties for the second half of the year, he believes that 2019 will also close with a further slight growth.

More and more space for innovation

The group’s investments, which in the last five years have reached the value of 32 million euros, do not stop at the new plant. In addition to the installation of a new 6-color Emba printing machine at the Caino (BS) site, 2019 will see the introduction of a new ERP management system in all the Innova’s locations which will connect to the systems production facilities installed in 2018, chosen in the context of the most innovative digital technologies in view of a totally 4.0 production. The ERP system will optimize productivity, increase speed and improve the quality of data analysis, but it will also reduce waste and consequently reduce costs. Innova Group customers will therefore be able to take advantage of more interconnected solutions, enhanced service and shorter delivery times; but also, in the near future, from the web platform that will be created and made available to them thanks to the ERP system.

Highly competitive products and services

«Since the foundation we have always put great effort and dedicated huge resources to obtain the greatest flexibility in the service provided to the customer, with the best quality/price ratio» reiterates Luca Pedrotti. And in the current market situation, in which the group’s customers see the life cycle of their products drastically reduced and the demand for increasingly smaller and customized batches grow exponentially, the company responds with the capacity of its lines. Unique on the national scene the company is in fact able to offer a wide and complete range of packaging solutions of every size, from a few centimeters to several meters, which include sheets of corrugated cardboard, die-cut boxes, cases, large, medium and small slotted floor and counter displays, box pallets, honeycombs and interiors; all packaging can be customized with offset printing up to 8 colors or flexo and produced with cardboard of any thickness, including the 3 corrugate, with the maximum speed and with a price quality ratio among the best in the sector.

Attention to the environment ...

According to Innova Group, the choice of corrugated cardboard for packaging is today the only truly ecological and sustainable one, as well as proving economical, effective and advantageous.

 In the near future in fact the non-biocompatible materials will have to be replaced and reconceived throughout their production cycle.

Corrugated cardboard is mainly composed of recycled paper and is in turn 100% recyclable, as well as optimal for the management of separate waste collection; it is light, safe and durable, customizable and easily adaptable to various shapes; in short, it is the future of packaging.

… and socially

For a company like Innova Group the link with the territory is important, and it shows it in practice. The company is a partner of Avis Pedale Verolese in organizing the annual international para-cycling competition, one of the best in Europe, which this year saw the participation of numerous international “big names” including the multiple champion Alex Zanardi, but also organizes mountain bike races and the Giovanni Pedrotti Memorial Trophy, hosted by the Polisportiva Caino, now in its fifteenth edition, commissioned by the three sons and mother Giuliana in memory of the group’s founder.