Grifal, doubling productivity for corrugated board replacing polystyrene
The Bergamo-based packaging company expands its plant in Cologno al Serio (Bergamo). A development plan for 14 sites in the main European countries is ready
3' min read
3' min read
In September, Grifal will inaugurate the expansion of its Cologno al Serio (Bergamo) production site, which will reach a total investment of 15 million. The Bergamo-based company, which has been active in paper packaging and machinery for corrugating, resin bonding and packaging automation since 1969, will add four new production lines (all 4.0) of Cartú - the patented corrugated cardboard for packaging, with characteristics that can replace polystyrene - and double its Italian production capacity. "Today we are ready for an important leap in turnover," comments President and CEO Fabio Gritti.
revenues at 37.8 million
.Grifal ended 2023 with revenues of EUR 37.8 million (+2.5% compared to 2022), buoyed in particular by Cartù, whose sales increased from EUR 12.2 million to EUR 12.8 million and now account for 34% of the group's consolidated revenues, which recorded an Ebitda of EUR 5.6 million (+27.8% compared to 2022) and an Ebitda margin of 14.8% (it was 11.9% in 2022).
Target 14 factories
.Developing a European network of sites dedicated to Cartù production and processing is one of the projects the company is pursuing. The objective in the medium term is to build, in partnership with other entities already present in those territories, around 14 new production sites in the main European countries, in addition to the Portuguese site built with Grupo José Neves, which will be operational from 2023, and the proprietary plant in Timisoara, Romania, which will start up in 2021. The assumed investment for each new production site is about two million euros to achieve a break-even in 12 months and a potential turnover of 10 million euros.
Cartù and sustainability
."Our commitment is to make Cartù and the cushionPaper product line the new standard in environmentally sustainable packaging, through the development of an international network of production sites in partnership with packaging companies. Since its inception, the entire creation process of Cartù, a Grifal patent, has been characterised by its environmental performance and we are constantly striving to further reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions," explains Gritti
CushionPaper' products, which put the softness of Cartù's corrugation at the service of protecting goods, require up to 70% less raw material thanks to the waves of paper that leave space between the layers, a feature that makes them particularly suitable for the new Packaging Regulation (Ppwr) approved by the European Parliament in April. They also need up to 80 per cent less CO2 emissions than packaging made of plastics or traditional corrugated cardboard. They are fully recyclable and their production requires neither steam nor drying, guaranteeing zero water consumption and an energy use that impacts only 2% of turnover.
