Made-in-Italy technology developed for installations used for the production and processing of tissue products is again at the centre of the international stage with week-long event of iT’s tissue opening its doors from 21st to 28th June 2015 in Lucca (Tuscany), Lecco (Lombardy) and Reggio Emilia (Emilia Romagna).
For a whole week Lucca will showcase the entire world a local and national leading sector, which has always been inclined to invest in R&D. The event is promoted by 12 Italian companies all active in the sector: these companies, which are market competitors, decided to establish the “Tissue Italy” network and create “IT’s tissue” to promote the tissue sector, which they contributed to develop with a turnover of over 600 million Euros expected in 2014 (more than 90% of which generated by exports to five continents). These 12 companies are deeply rooted at a local level, with some of them established over a hundred and fifty years ago, and today employ over 3,000 people in their 23 plants in Italy and abroad.
The IT’s tissue is not easy to define, as it cannot be described by a word alone. Yet one can attempt to describe it as «a series of events inside the event», or, more simply as iT’s tissue – The Italian Technology Experience.
«Our focus is to target to and promote the Italian leadership in the field of automatic machines for the production of tissue paper for home or hygienic/sanitary use», says Matteo Gentili, who is the chairman of the Tissue Italy business network that conceived and organized the event. «Our aim is to create a brand where the Italian brands of our companies can identify themselves». The network is made up of twelve businesses acting in the field of technology for the tissue chain. Both they and all visitors will be the real protagonists of the event.
7 days open house
This year’s event will be structured along the same line of the previous edition and foresee regular open house events lasting for a whole week house, where each business of the network will open the doors of their plants to visitors from all over the world and offer them events and occasions to meet each other, leaving adequate room to launches and premières of new technologies applied to the tissue world. This can be compared to a technology beauty contest, as the organizers like to say out of fun. «The second edition is inevitably more difficult, as it is accompanied by bigger expectations compared to the first edition, but also by a higher degree of awareness», explains Mr. Gentili. «This year we are better organized and feature events of a higher quality, and we definitely expect good results from them». The very same fact that this is the second edition is a success per se, as this confirms that we had a winning idea when we first implemented it in 2013. «The first was a zero edition. It came from an idea of our companies and the confidence of our customers. But now it has become clear that this event is unique». The creation of iT’s tissue and its success are evidence of the fact that Lucca, which is not by chance referred to as the «Tissue Valley», and the entire chain are leading areas in the tissue sector and are known worldwide for the production of both paper and paper machines. «Our aim was to give shape to what was already universally acknowledged, i.e. those who work in this field cannot but come to Italy at least once a year. We are basically taking a concept that is in everybody’s mind but nobody expresses and making it our own, i.e. tissue is us».
All along the Italian boot
«While the first edition focussed on extra-business activities, this year’s edition will still show what the Lucca area and its beauties can offer but it is going to be more business oriented». The organizers wanted to focus on company visits in order to allow visitors to see the proposed technological new developments first-hand.
The 2015 with therefore be characterized by the services offered: «visitors can register on-line on the event website and view the programme, after which they are given the chance to customise their visit schedule and be directly accompanied by our staff during the visits starting from their arrival at the airport until their departure – we’ll take care of everything», explains the chairman. The companies will thus take care of the organization of individual events, while the Network will deal with logistics and take care of all the services needed to ensure an optimal stay in Italy to tourists, also including transportation between the three towns involved in the event.
A «Tissue Home» will also be organized. This will consist of a hub active for the entire week, which will be accommodated in a symbolic place for Lucca, i.e. the Antico caffè delle Mura. «The hub will serve as an information and networking centre, as well as a place where people can meet to then leave for their scheduled visits. Those visiting iT’s tissue will just have to rely on us, who will do our best to make their visit as comfortable as possible».
Visitors from all over the world
This shows a major effort, and it is no coincidence that the organization of logistics is one of the highest entries of the budget resources allocated for the event, especially if one considers the large number of expected visitors. «As already happened during the first edition, visitors from all five continents are expected», says Mr. Gentili. «After all, the Italian companies manufacturing machines for tissue paper production export about 90% of their entire production, so their target visitors come from all over the world. The 2013 edition of iT’s tissue brought over 700 visitors from 70 different countries to Italy; our objective for this year is to register a figure that is twice as high».
Over 160 people already registered for the June event during the Barcelona Tissue World event (held from 17th to 19th March 2015), which saw the participation of our companies together within the Tissue Italy Network with the precise aim of exporting the brand identity of Italian products.
Through iT’s tissue the Network aims at creating a quality brand, which can help enhance the visibility of the Italian tissue production technology as a product with real advantages, whereby this is expressed also through qualifying initiatives and the participation in actions or projects in various parts of the world.
Customers from all over the world who will decide to participate in the June event will thus have the chance to maximize their economic effort and optimize the time of their trip to Italy. And this year they will also take advantage of yet another highlight, i.e. the Expo Universal Exhibition in Milan beginning next May.
The Network
Here are the twelve companies that make up the Tissue Italy network and will be the real protagonists of iT’s tissue: A. Celli, Elettric 80, Fabio Perini, Futura, Gambini, MTC, Omet, PCMC, Pulsar, Recard, TMC, Toscotec.