Sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency.
Image courtesy of IMS Technologies.
Sustainability has been a top-of-mind consideration across industries for well over a decade, with the North American market placing particular emphasis on the importance of sustainable business practices. Many engineers, such as Daniel Hoffman of PULSE Engineering, know the importance of looking for solutions beyond the home continent.
“We have previously acted as an EPC [Engineering, Procurement and Construction] for industrial gas plant builds,” says Hoffman, Chief Engineer at PULSE, which selects Italian equipment for large industrial projects, partially based on their environmental credentials. “As such, we have selected equipment in our offerings from various Italian vendors.”
Italian machine builders are leveraging their expertise to deliver highly sustainable equipment to North American industry, as shown by the results in an End-User Perceptions survey — conducted by WTWH on behalf of the Italian Trade Agency’s Machines Italia project to examine how North American companies evaluate and benefit from Italian machinery. Nearly 35% of respondents noted the ability to use a wide range of materials, including new sustainable options, while over 14% of respondents lauded the reduction of utility usage. The survey’s overall revelation: North American companies are factoring the stellar sustainability credentials of Italian machinery into their decision-making process.
To demonstrate Italian machine builders’ strong commitment to sustainability, Machines Italia has highlighted several Italian pioneers in the field. This article explores how individual Italian machine builders are employing different strategies to enhance their products’ sustainability and their end users’ operations. While the technologies, design innovations, and unique processes deployed by these cutting-edge machine builders are helping customers improve their environmental credentials, they also deliver meaningful operational efficiencies that go well beyond environmental returns.
For instance, reducing material quantity and weight in packaging improves the environmental footprint of a product, but it also delivers significant savings to the end user through material input cost reductions and reduced transport expenses.
To understand why North American engineers like PULSE are turning to Italian machine builders for sustainable designs and operational efficiencies, Machines Italia asked Italian leaders in machine sustainability to explain how their specific technologies are providing tailored solutions to their customers.
Core Technology
One Italian company has taken the sustainability trend and transformed it into a strong business case that bolsters an organization’s bottom line. IMS Technologies SpA (imstechnologies.com) is a member of ACIMGA (acimga.it/en) the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery for the Graphic, Paper, and Converting Industry. As a global leader in advanced machinery solutions, IMS continues to push the boundaries of innovation with its portfolio of sustainable technologies. From revolutionary coreless rewinding systems to high-precision slitter rewinders for eco-friendly materials, the company is setting new standards in sustainable manufacturing and packaging.
The MPW slitter rewinder, developed by GOEBEL IMS, is a game-changer in sustainable manufacturing. This fully automatic machine offers the option to wind paper and other materials with or without cores, significantly reducing material waste and enhancing flexibility. The MPW is able to accommodate a wide variety of material types, including new sustainable substrates and formats. By reducing the need for cores, the MPW contributes to resource conservation and aligns with common sustainability goals.
Another offering from IMS, ROTOMAC’s ICEBREAKER 167, also known as the CORELESS, sets a new benchmark in sustainable packaging by eliminating the need for traditional cores in aluminum foil rolls. This cutting-edge coreless design replaces traditional cores with a single sheet of paper, reducing overall paper usage by up to 73%. A coreless design also translates into a drastically reduced carbon footprint, as only 1/8 of the trucks are needed for shipping compared to traditional cores. When combined with other IMS features like glueless technology, the ICEBREAKER 167 can deliver measurable sustainability benefits.
IMS has also been working diligently to replace plastics with eco-friendly alternatives. GOEBEL IMS leads the charge in the shift toward biodegradable packaging with its specialized slitter rewinders designed for processing barrier papers, enabling manufacturers to switch off of plastic packaging to more sustainable paper-based formats.
IMS sums up their approach to sustainability in a succinct way: “By developing state-of-the-art machinery that seamlessly blends innovation and environmental responsibility, IMS TECHNOLOGIES is helping manufacturers worldwide transition to sustainable practices. Whether through coreless rewinding, biodegradable packaging solutions, or energy-efficient technologies, IMS TECHNOLOGIES reaffirms its dedication to driving a greener future.”
Packaged Sustainability
One Italian expert on sustainable machine design has committed to overhauling their machine portfolio to focus on the dual goals of improved environmental footprint and superior machine functionality for end users. BOBST Italia SpA (bobst.com/usen) is a member of ACIMGA (acimga.it/en) the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery for the Graphic, Paper and Converting Industry. BOBST is one of the world’s leading suppliers of substrate processing, printing and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries. Their commitment to sustainability permeates the entire organization and guides their design philosophy for machinery. In addition to ink, waste, and substrate reduction on their machines, BOBST focuses on minimizing the energy needs of its packaging solutions, reducing its customers’ production costs and helping them decrease their carbon footprint.
Image courtesy of BOBST Italia.
Beyond machine design, BOBST has embarked on an ambitious sustainability evaluation of its own product portfolio, with more than 80% of relevant BOBST machines evaluated by the end of 2023. By the end of 2025, BOBST plans to have their complete catalogue of machines evaluated using their rigorous sustainability criteria. To build upon the sustainability audit process, BOBST is aiming to expand the use of online machine monitoring through BOBST Connect, an online platform that will further empower customers to evaluate and improve the sustainability of their machines and operations.
One of BOBST’s most innovative and versatile machines is the Novalam S 550, a compact and modular converter for small to medium operations. The machine incorporates BOBST’s ongoing commitment to minimizing utility usage into a modular design that can efficiently run a wide variety of materials and substrates, reducing overall material waste and eliminating the need for additional machinery. Highly mobile and flexible, the Novalam S 550 can be redeployed in an operation when needs change, drastically reducing the carbon footprint of having to purchase a new machine.
The Novalam S 550’s life and capability can be extended even further through BOBST’s innovative, sustainability-focused upgrade program, which features over 1,000 different components and configurations designed to keep machines functioning at top efficiency.
The Green Treatment
A pioneer in sustainable solutions for converting applications, Ferrarini & Benelli Srl (ferben.com) is a member of ACIMGA (acimga.it/en) the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery for the Graphic, Paper, and Converting Industry. Ferrarini & Benelli brings over 50 years of experience in delivering surface treatment systems to improve the printing and adhesion process. Specifically, Ferrarini & Benelli specializes in providing efficient surface treatment systems designed to enhance the surface tension and adhesion properties of various substrates, including plastic films, aluminum foil, metallized substrates, and plastic-coated paper.
Image courtesy of Ferrarini & Benelli.
One area where Ferrarini & Benelli is delivering improved sustainability credentials through innovative processes is their corona treatment process. There is a growing demand for durable, environmentally-friendly and customizable solutions, yet there are industries such as food and beverage packaging and the pharmaceutical industry that have to balance using sustainable materials with durability. To address these challenges, Ferrarini & Benelli created a treatment that improves the adhesion of inks and coatings to recycled, biodegradable or compostable materials, allowing them to be used as environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional plastic packaging.
Corona treatment plays a critical role in enhancing the quality and performance of surfaces in printing line applications. By improving the adhesion of inks, corona treatment reduces the amount of ink needed, thus lowering ink costs in the long run. Moreover, the enhanced surface characteristics mean that printing processes run more smoothly and efficiently, reducing material waste, defect waste, and downtime.
The treatment also processes substrates without the use of chemical solvents, reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds. These solvents, used in many traditional printing and laminating processes, are harmful to the environment and human health. Solvent-free or water-based inks and adhesives, which require corona treatment for good adhesion, significantly reduce air pollution and chemical waste management issues. Ferrarini & Benelli’s expertise in this field has led to the development of solutions that are ideally suited for solventless lines.
Corona treatment also improves the adhesion of inks and coatings to recycled, biodegradable, or compostable materials, allowing them to be used as environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional plastic packaging. For example, it can be used to treat recycled plastic film, paper, or biodegradable substrates, reducing the use of virgin plastics and promoting a circular economy.
By refining and perfecting the corona treatment process, Ferrarini & Benelli machinery delivers solutions that both improve the sustainability of existing operations, and open the door to even more environmentally friendly materials and processes in the future.
Vacuuming Up Energy Savings
Italian machine builders are helping clients improve their local plant environments while simultaneously contributing to operation-wide sustainability goals. New Aerodinamica Srl (newaerodinamica.com/en) is a member of ACIMGA (acimga. it/en) the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery for the Graphic, Paper, and Converting Industry. For more than 40 years, New Aerodinamica has been designing and manufacturing custom-made vacuum systems for industries worldwide. By leveraging sustainable features on their dust-clearing systems, New Aerodinamica supports a healthy plant environment, as well as supporting the environmental health of the planet.
Image courtesy of New Aerodinamica.
New Aerodinamica has pioneered sustainable injector technology for moving waste material through vacuum tubes and out of the production space. In this process, waste material is reduced into smaller particles so they can be easily moved through the system. Thanks to New Aerodinamica’s innovative and sustainability-focused design, their injector systems require less cutting and chopping to reduce material sizes, resulting in significant energy savings and carbon footprint reduction. In addition, the more efficient injector cutting and transportation process results in less post-processing waste and less dust, improving the yield and return of captured material waste, all while improving the localized air quality within the plant.
New Aerodinamica is further enhancing the sustainability of its systems by deploying high-tech solutions. Their systems incorporate high-tech features such as 4.0-ready connectivity, intuitive touch-screen PLC interfaces, and full remote monitoring capabilities. These technology-focused features empower operations with robust integration, data collection, and monitoring capabilities. Designed with an eye toward process improvement and eco-friendly production, New Aerodinamica’s suite of technology can enable operations to more thoroughly monitor, evaluate, and ultimately improve the sustainability of their production processes.
“Sustainability is a central theme for us and for our planet’s future,” says Paolo Radaelli, CEO of New Aerodinamica. “That’s why at New Aerodinamica sustainability has been at the center of every project and development plan for years. In the company, sustainability has always been a priority. Therefore, we always made huge efforts in designing reduced consumption plants.”
New Aerodinamica collaborates with customers to develop innovative solutions that support their sustainability goals.
“The cutting chopper fan has been the pioneer for other innovations that took the Bergamo company up to a higher sustainability level, such as the introduction of 4.0 inverter, PLC, touch screen and remote control, ensuring support even from a distance to the production machine,” Radaelli says. “That means maximum performance and zero impact on production. As an example, a recently built plant in Mexico went from two to six plates, increasing its capacity and the ability to separate different types of materials. Each machine has become independent with its own fan and piping and now the operator can decide where to direct the waste material – this optimizes the recovery. There are also independent inverters switching on and off which means massive energy saving.”
With sustainability baked into its foundations, New Aerodinamica is an innovative partner in eco-friendly vacuum systems that is committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver unparalleled machinery.
Keeping it Green
More than just a buzzword, sustainability has become a core component of Italian machine design philosophy. Beyond machine design, Italian machine builders are also helping their customers incorporate novel processes and creatively apply technology to improve the environmental footprint of their operations. By embracing sustainability as an operation-wide goal that transcends individual processes, Italian machine builders are not only responsible stewards of the planet, they are pushing customers to improve the sustainability of their practices while simultaneously improving their bottom-line operating metrics.
With Italian excellence, end users do not have to be torn between what is the most environmentally friendly and what is the most efficient – they can achieve both with the same equipment. In this way, Italian machine builders are truly at the vanguard of sustainable design and operations.
Filed Under: SPONSORED CONTENT