It’s a paper napkin! Thanks to the new deco-embossing technology applied and patented by the Fold Division of Fabio Perini SpA, on the embosser model 438G, it is possible to obtain a different table napkin, unique and recognizable with respect to others present on the market.
Maura Leonardi
With a figure of 1,139,400 tons in the consumer segment and 1,121,800 tons in the AfH one, the table napkins market is worth today 4,161.1 million US dollars (of which 2,379.81 million – according to Euromonitor International 2005 – in the consumer field and 1,781.3 million in the AfH) and represents a business with very interesting future growth prospects. Dominated prevalently by single-ply, white products (70% in terms of volume against 29% double-ply) this segment suffers form stagnation for what concerns development and innovation.
IF IT IS TRUE THAT, ON THE ONE HAND, WHAT THE MARKET DEMANDS IS CONVENIENCE AND THEREFORE LOW PRICE, on the other we find that the napkins market is today able to absorb an intermediate product that can break the dual presently being fought between single-ply, simple, micro-embossed napkins and upper range products – printed, decorated and sold at prices that cannot exactly be considered convenient. Furthermore, the increase in the number of meals consumed outside the home has determined an increase in the use of the table napkin, making product personalization a necessary virtue. Decoration, logo and ad hoc graphics become the essential, visible and immediate instruments to guarantee brand recognition.
AND WITH THE NEW TECHNOLOGY OF THE EMBOSSING-LAMINATOR FOR FOLDERS MODEL 438G, THE FOLD DIVISION OF THE LUCCA COMPANY takes a giant step forward in the evolution of folded products. Born according to the criteria of the deco-embosser model 437G, introduced by the company in 2004, today the new embosser brings forth an enhanced, innovative, flexible and versatile technology that guarantees products with a perfectly engraved pattern (or logo) within the napkin’s borders. Thanks to the new roll “variable position” geometry, it is possible to modify the roll’s diameter according to product format, resulting in greater production flexibility. Flexibility also guaranteed by the quick décor roll change that allows to obtain a diversified product. A perfect solution for converters, who must face many different kinds of production.
If we also unite greater softness and thickness, we surely obtain a different product, new and certainly not banal, capable of conquering new market segments. The wide range of choices available for the embossing pattern confers versatility to the embosser. The use of different combinations such as, for example, colored paper with colored glue, or white paper with colored glue, give the product an innovative, personalized appeal that can liven up any meal, whether it be inside or outside the home.
THE PRODUCT’S POTENTIAL CAN BE EXPLOITED IN AN EFFECTIVE AND PROFITABLE WAY through marketing operations aimed at creating special editions of the product according to the seasons, making it ad hoc for holidays and special events. This guarantees the products a double role: one in the consumer field and one in the HoReCa (acronym that identifies the Hotel-Restaurant-Catering segment) sector. The embossing unit model 438G also allows to decorate the napkin with border embossing patterns in-phase with the printer, thus making the napkin more exclusive and increasing the number of decoration possibilities. A veritable revolution for folded products which have for years been dominated by simple, one-color, standardized products.
FROM A TECHNICAL POINT OF VIEW, THE UNIT CAN BE ADAPTED TO ANY FOLDING MACHINE THANKS TO ITS INDEPENDENT MOTOR. Versatile and functional, the new model entails minimal maintenance interventions. The use of colored glue – which remains on the internal face of the ply and thus does not cause problems of a hygienic nature – can replace the printing unit. This goes in favor of a reduction in initial investment costs, of reduced maintenance and of greater profit on the entire line. A technological innovation that follows the policy undertaken in the course of the last few years by Fabio Perini SpA, who has always striven to find new solutions for the tissue market that translate into platforms for creative marketing policies aimed at generating new business. The possibility of using the deco-embossing technology (for years present in the rolls market) also for folded products, allows to create coordinated product lines (toilet rolls, kitchen towels and napkins), dedicated to specific markets (for example, that of products for children, teenagers, etc.) or for special periods of the year (Spring, Summer, Easter, Christmas, etc.) or personalization for restaurants, hotels, agencies.
LET’S TAKE AS AN EXAMPLE ITALY, WHERE AT LEAST 68% OF ITS INHABITANTS HAS A MEAL OUTSIDE THE HOME. This translates into interesting figures for what concerns the development of tissue products and in particular for the segment of folded products – indispensable during a meal. If we also consider that, in Italy, the business volume in terms of food consumption is around 46 billion Euro, of which 65% is comprised of restaurants, 35% of coffee shops and 10% of cafeterias (in hospitals, schools and companies) we can certainly see how offering a new and personalized product translates into an important business for converting companies – a business capable of increasing turnover. •