Information magazine about transformation's technologies
year 2º number 3 of march 2003

A high productive capacity with no limitations on format or type; maximum automation with ecologically safe printing technologies; complete, dependable service: that sums up the strong points of Taffarello, one of Europe's most prominent manufacturing companies in this important sector of the packaging industry.

Drivers travelling along motorway A 27 toward Belluno will notice, between the Treviso Sud and Treviso Nord exits, a graceful, modern industrial complex standing beside the main road in the town of Carbonera, marked by a "Taffarello" sign.
This is one of the many enterprises that have helped make northeast Italy one of Europe's most advanced areas in a number of sectors of manufacturing industry, home to such world-renowned names as Benetton, Luxottica, and many more.

Taffarello S.p.A. is one of Italy's biggest converters specialising in production of paper and plastic shopping bags, and Renzo Taffarello, president and founder of the company that bears his name, is considered a pioneer in the shopping bags that have become so essential in our consumer society. He began making his first paper bags with handles in 1964 as a way of making life easier for shopkeepers struggling to wrap up shoppers'purchases.

Since the '60s Taffarello has grown to become a major presence in an industry that continues to grow, accumulating considerable technological know-how and outstanding experience on the market.
In 1998 Taffarello gave his business a new high-profile form under his son Mauro and daughter Lara, who continue to run the company under his guidance.
"What makes our products stand out is the high degree of automation and rationalisation of our productive processes in a high-tech industry," reports Taffarello.

This is how we manage to produce such a wide range of paper and polyethylene shopping bags, all top quality with great aesthetic value, no limitations on size and the capacity to apply all the technical solutions customers may require.
Our 7 flexo printing machines and 11 automatic forming machines, all latest generation, allow us to churn out 350000 paper bags and over 100000 plastic bags each day.
Our rotary flexo presses work with a maximum web of 1400 mm and can therefore print on reels of material of all widths from 500 mm up, allowing us to print runs of all sizes from 3000 to 100000 items.

DEPENDABLE, COMPLETE SERVICE
The company produces enough to serve over 9000 customers in Italy and abroad, including prestigious names in fashion, cosmetics, jewellery and design, the big department stores of the European capitals and a number of food multinationals; but the majority of its customers are boutiques selling prestigious products who consider an elegant customised shopping bag (preferably made of paper) the best way of promoting their business.
The company needs an efficient, flexible organisation and logistics service to serve such a highly differentiated market.

As Taffarello says, "Our productive plants occupy only a third of our 17000 square metre site; most of the area is covered by warehouses containing raw materials and finished products.
This allows us to manage production cycles that require continuous supplies of various materials and, especially, to guarantee delivery to our customers on schedule and keep sufficient stock on hand to deal with peak demand times".

ADVANCED, ENVIRONMENTALLY COMPATIBLE TECHNOLOGIES
As Mauro Taffarello takes us on a tour of the plant, we are pleasantly surprised by the total absence of that typical smell of solvent that normally permeates the air in converting plants, even where powerful air purification systems are used.
There's a simple, obvious reason for this: Taffarello uses no products containing solvents whatsoever.
"We were able to implement this ideal condition, rare in the printing industry, with help from our main ink suppliers. Supercolor deserves a special mention for perfecting its "IDROSTAR" water-based inks, which permit trouble-free printing on clear, matt, and pearly plastic materials with excellent colour yield and perfect anchorage".

All the technological solutions implemented in the printing and converting plants are aimed at achieving maximum productive efficiency with no compromises when it comes to quality.
The company prints with Uteco rotary central drum flexo presses in 6 and 8 colour configurations with the latest register control, inking and drying devices.
The seven ultra-rapid New Long lines perform all converting operations involved in forming bags and applying various types of paper, cloth and plastic handles fully automatically.

SYNERGIES WITH THE GLOBAL MARKET
Taffarello emphasises a number of strategic choices that have been important to his company: "With 85 employees and over 14 million Euro in turnover in 2002, we are leaders in our field, and, above all, we're still growing, gradually expanding our presence on international markets.
Domestic sales now represent 55% of our total sales, and exports 45%, but the ratio will soon be reversed.
There are lots of big foreign manufacturers who would like to have us as a partner, but we’d rather work independently, though we have developed synergies with major international groups with business and productive relations in major European markets.

Good interpersonal relations and an attitude of teamwork at all levels in our company are highly positive values which we are attempting to preserve in a family-run operation, without giving in to the flattering of the big groups.
We have evolved this set-up out of many years of development and production of a product we believe in, which is the foundation on which Taffarello was built, with its quality shopping bags and its quality and vitality in serving the market with correct business practice and perfect customer/supplier partnership".