AEROSOL EUROPE: How do you assess the current situation, especially with respect to developments in the aerosol industry?
Paolo Venturelli: If we consider the demand for new lines to increase production capacity, I would say that we are facing a period of stagnation in Europe and a similar situation in America, while in the Far East we see a more sparkling interest. On the other hand, it seems to us that brand owners are looking for innovative solutions to face the competitive challenges of the future and digital technology is attracting enormous interest. This disruptive technology must be developed to create a new impetus in the development and growth of the aerosol industry.
This is quite understandable, since the decoration technology of these products is at least 70 years old! In this context, digital printing is definitely an essential step, as the advantages are immediately visible both on a competitive level and with respect to new marketing opportunities. The technological leap is so decided that it brings a fresh breeze to all organizational levels.
While many companies are still wondering if digital printing can be integrated into the production of metal packaging, others have already done it successfully.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Technopack offers a wide range of products for the metal packaging industries. Can you give us a brief overview?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: Today, Technopack is able to offer an integrated and exclusive production system, including all the single machines necessary for the production of aerosols.
We have a new family of extrusion presses – the Rhino Series – which includes the full range of power to serve any aerosol can production line. Thanks to their simplicity and immediate intuitiveness, we are sure that Rhino will be a great success.
Moreover, we are proud to include the most innovative necking machine available on the market, able to guarantee high production speeds with shaping capacity at the highest level.
Of course, last but not least, we offer our Michelangelo printer, which is the keystone of our technology revolution. This machine, integrated into our production system, creates a complete weapon capable of facing any challenges that aerosol cans can pose.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Your systems and machines are very complex and elaborate. In general terms, what are you doing to fulfill your customers’ high demands?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: The technology we use is actually complex and elaborate because it has to manage many variables and keep quality under control. But it must first be simple for the operator. In fact, all our design efforts are aimed at achieving this ambitious goal: each of our machines is developed and equipped to make life easier for our customers.
What we think should be changed is the attitude toward setting machines thanks to the empirical and personal experience of operators who have spent their entire career at a company and who are now approaching retirement age: it was OK, but now, we have to change. We believe that our customers want to make use of machines with intuitive adjustments, that are simple to maintain, safe, able to reproduce a given behavior reliably, and provided by companies that are able to guarantee timely and effective online and on-site assistance.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Where are your most important customers headquartered?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: Our customers are distributed everywhere and, for this reason, we are a global supplier: wherever there is a need for production systems that are easy to use and profitable, we would like to be present in order to propose our solutions. With this in mind, we are pleased to say that our online support services are greatly appreciated by our customers and allow us to spare our operators a great deal of travel.
AEROSOL EUROPE: What are your core markets?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: Our field is metal packaging machines, especially for aerosols, but also beverage cans, for which we have developed a specific line of dedicated machines. We strongly believe in digital printing and we are discovering a strong demand for plastic packaging, too.
AEROSOL EUROPE: What markets do you believe will be essential in the future?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: We are investing a great deal in India, the Pacific Rim, and South America, always keeping an eye on China. However, we are convinced that digital printing is a game-changer that will involve every geographical region and almost all product categories. For the time being, as a paradox, the companies that have already invested in this are the smallest and most efficient ones, while the decisions of the multinationals seem to reflect a more cautious approach.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Are there markets where you see significant potential? Russia, for example?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: We have been present in Russia for a long time and we believe it is a market with great potential. We actively collaborate with Russian producers, who always show a lively interest in technological development and the consequent increase in competitiveness. But my personal opinion is that the market with the highest potential is India.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Will you be putting any innovations on the market in the near future?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: Innovating is the only way a company has to guarantee its future. In our case, we believe it is essential to listen to customers and understand their needs.
It is often not easy, because everyone tends to defend their own points of view or personal choices made in the past,but we strongly believe in human contact, in sharing our efforts with the customer, our most precious capital.
AEROSOL EUROPE: What are your goals in the medium term with respect to your product offerings?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: We are very enthusiastic about the latest developments and we are counting on increasing the percentage of market share in a consistent manner. In our opinion, we are close to helping our customers understand the potential of digital printing. The examples of installed machines and the demands of brand owners are playing a key role in overcoming the latest distrusts.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Where do you see aerosol products in the future?
Dr. Paolo Venturelli: Aerosols are fantastic products: they can only become more popular, and we are ready.
Of course, new challenges await aerosols as we know them, for example plastic cans and decoration before filling. But we are sure that in our DNA, we are ready to overcome all these challenges.
AEROSOL EUROPE: Dr. Venturelli, we thank you for the conversation.
