When industry has a green heart

From “Gluing Technology to Gluing Solution”, or from technology to solution, as long as it is green: the turning point of Robatech, which firmly reaffirms its commitment to a better environment, but continues to reflect on the market and on service, a true balance for good business. Milena Bernardi, Luciana Guidotti

The Robatech Group produces innovative and sustainable solutions for the application of adhesives in all industrial sectors, among which packaging stands out for its importance. And today the company no longer proposes itself as a  “simple” technology producer but as a “solutions” supplier, maintaining the strong eco-friendly mark that has characterized it since its founding in 1975.
The dominance of the green layout could also not fail to highlight the setting up of the Robatech stand at Cibus Tec 2019, including maxi-posters and images associated with nature and the inevitable green color that distinguishes systems and company logos.
Furthermore, the concept of environmental responsibility was the underlying  theme of the interview carried out at the fair with Davide Morten, sales and marketing director of Robatech Italia, who reiterated how the Swiss multinational has been investing in this field for years.

Let’s start with the market situation...
Although the economic momentum in Italy and Europe is not among the best, Robatech is in line with 2018 in terms of volumes. This is thanks, of course, to the long-established relationships with OEMs, but also thanks to the decision to involve  end-users more, who can generate an “induced demand” towards machine manufacturers. In both cases, what sets us apart is the service, considered important or even more important than the product itself: it is the real added value, the one impossible to copy or reproduce. And customers show that they appreciate it, in light of the results they can achieve with our systems, starting with greater production efficiency.

What are you presenting at the fair?
I would like to say that we were the first glue plant manufacturers to join Cibus Tec, whose strategic value lies in the possibility of “marking the territory” and leading the way with original solutions. Not only that... The “direct” exchange with competitors allows us to evaluate our own advances, in terms of energy savings, consumption and digitization, an area in which we are second to none, given that Robatech gluing systems have long been capable of communicating with the corporate network and can be managed remotely via smartphone.
This year, at Cibus Tec, we are first of all bringing our idea of “Green Gluing”, or the concept that acts as a bridge between industrial bonding and ecology. The re-branding that involved all the group’s activities and the new brand (formalized in May 2019, Ed.) clearly reiterates it, with an added detail: Robatech’s commitment as a systems suppler able not only to achieve sustainability objectives, but also to guarantee a high return on investment thanks to the reduction of operating costs.

In terms of the re-branding operation, what did it entail in practice?
Green Gluing for us means offering increasingly sustainable bonding solutions, which involve our own production technologies, products and applications. Therefore, the re-branding has involved important investments on the economic level, as well as in human resources.
However, the step was necessary to integrate the group’s values and promises in a coherent way, but also to communicate a new and modern corporate identity.
However, it was also an operation based on continuity, which also witnessed the restyling of the logo: always green, now almost fluo, it reinforces the bond with nature and allows us to perceive more clearly the drive towards innovation. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Robatech’s pay off has been transformed from “Gluing Technology” to “Gluing Solution”, which means putting know-how and experience at the customer’s service, to help them achieve a better product with our technology.

In your case, therefore, the promises of greater efficiency go hand in hand with greater - and sincere - environmental responsibility ...
As far as our production is concerned, we try to maximize the use of resources. Suffice it to say that over 50% of the energy needed by our plants in Switzerland comes from solar panels, which is not insignificant given our not-so-sunny weather.
In terms of applications, our bonding equipment - applicator guns or melting and dosing systems - have always been designed and built with an eye to energy saving, so as to guarantee consumption lower than that of any competitor. In some cases, hence, they offer a valid alternative to the use of plastics and I refer, in particular, to the systems to stabilize the pallets, where the correct use of the glue can reduce up to 90% the use of packaging films... Thus, with our AntiSlip Gluing, which involves the application of hot glue directly on the packaging, we are able to guarantee important savings in terms of costs and resources, reducing the use of protective film and interlayers, without compromising the stability of the merchandise and its integrity during transport and storage. And without counting the greater efficiency of the process, given that the machine stops needed for pallet wrapping are eliminated.

Can you imagine the future of glue?
It is a rather recurrent question that perhaps you had better ask glue producers. The point is that we would all be interested in having completely organic and eco-sustainable glues, if only because, in terms of recycling, a glued board needs to be treated differently if the adhesive percentages exceed certain limits. To date, however, despite ongoing research, the results do not allow the complete replacement of synthetic polymers.

If and when different materials are created, should the bonding technology be modified?
As far as we are concerned, as long as they are solid-state products that are melted and then applied, this would not be necessary. We should bear it in mind that, in the industrial panorama, Robatech systems are also used for special processes such as the application of waxes, sealants, alcohol or melted chocolate... In any case, we will be ready to face any new challenge ... as long as they are green, of course.