Knowing the process in order to improve the product

About 40% of the AfH market is represented by food services, 15% by sanitary health services, about 30% by private agencies and 15% by hotels, boarding houses and public lodgings. Hence the importance of this segment also in terms of quality of the finished product.

Maura Leonardi

In the category of tissue products for use away from the home are also featured industrial rolls, paper towels and napkins. Estimated consumption in 2005 of AfH products was of 7,266,000 tons, with the forecast for 2010 of 8,339,000 tons1. For over 30 years, consumer products such as toilet rolls, kitchen towels, table napkins and facial tissues have covered a starring role in the disposable products scenario. Always at the center of the stage and object of innumerable innovations aimed at embellishing and packaging the roll and/or table napkin in a unique and precious way for the end user. On the opposite side of the tracks, industrial products have remained the Cinderella of the field, registering slow growth with respect to the consumer segment and benefiting from rather scarce innovations, both in terms of quality and diversification. It is for this reason that the collective image of the industrial product, whether it be a roll, a hand towel or napkin, corresponds to that of a “poor” product with non-existent added value. And the increasingly competitive scenarios that lead companies to face more and more complex issues, where profit margins have been eroded by price wars fought in the name of competition, and the evaluation – in some cases an erroneous one – of the industrial product as a commodity of little value, which ends up in a dispenser to be utilized by the masses, has favoured this consideration. Unfortunately, considering industrial products as mere commodities does not favour companies who work with them, and at the same time they do not satisfy in optimal fashion the needs of the end users. A very banal scenario, where even the “abracadabra” of marketing has found and still finds structural difficulties due to the presence of poor products where the only lever on which to point is the price.

HENCE, THE NEED TO REDESIGN THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS SCENARIO and, more precisely, that of rolls, focusing attention on a new production method aimed at improving the physical aspect of the finished product, creating value for the entire category and at the same time supplying technical solutions that are appropriate for the different production needs. These are the foundations on which the CoreLess® production system, designed and produced by Fabio Perini S.p.A., is based. Introduced in Nice, France, last year during the Tissue World 2007 show, the CoreLess® brand, literally “without a core”, embodies a much wider concept than that of a simple roll without a cardboard core: a global manufacturing philosophy aimed at improving the entire industrial roll converting process.

FLEXIBILITY AND PRODUCTION CAPACITY ARE THE STRONGHOLDS OF THIS PHILOSOPHY, to which we join a high added value conferred to the product through the use of printing and embossing, two instruments that can guarantee highly personalized branded products, even if they are directed at dispensers. At the basis of the renewal process of industrial products converting technology is a long-standing experience in the field and an analysis of the state of the art of the converting process. An innovative process that has attained excellent results for the company in terms of production method and final result. Offering avant-garde machinery capable of allowing converters – and hence retailers – to differentiate themselves from the pack (with the possibility of greater profit) represents a launching pad from which to create value for the entire production chain, for the benefit of the entire industrial segment category. And it is in this spirit that the industrial product lines of Fabio Perini S.p.A. have been perfected and improved.

THE TREND TOWARDS RENEWAL BEGAN WITH THE ANALYSIS OF THE AFH MARKET and has resulted in the implementation of industrial product lines capable of easily converting rolls with or without a central cardboard core. The new converting lines with CoreLess® technology are a perfect example. The new models focus not only on production efficiency but also on the aesthetic aspect of the finished product through the study and application of new embossings that maintain the professional aspect of the roll and raise the quality level of the finished product, compatibly with the volume requirements of the industrial roll.

LET’S START FOR EXAMPLE WITH THE ADDITION OF THE ONE-COLOR PRINTING STATION ON THE EMBOSSING UNIT OF CORELESS® INDUSTRIAL LINES. A technical feature that, with limited investment, allows personalizing products through the application of logos and/or slogans that increase, or even create from scratch, brand awareness. And this feature is just the tip of the iceberg, because behind every Perini industrial line lies constant experimenting, improvement, research for excellence of every machine component, and consequently of the entire production process.

OVERALL LINE HARMONY GUARANTEES EXCELLENT OUTPUT AND HIGH ADDED VALUE. For greater attention to, research in and versatility of the product, even the tail gluing phase of industrial lines has been totally reviewed, focusing on three different types of gluing that satisfy industrial and/or consumer product needs. Through technical modifications, the performance of the tail sealer Perini model 575C has been improved and optimized to be better able to glue different types of paper, guaranteeing optimal results at this phase. To highlight the extreme flexibility of this machine is the possibility of utilizing three different glue distribution methods, based on requests by converters: blade gluing on the roll; blade gluing on the tail; and spray gluing. The possibility of choosing among three different tail sealing systems highlights not only the flexibility of this model but underscores in particular how the appeal of products for the professional segment is changing course and heading in the direction of improved aesthetics.

Different functions that can be performed translate into as many different advantages. These can be summarized as follows: the advantage of using a paper that is qualitatively better and greater gluing flexibility because the system adopted can change according to the destination of the final product.

THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT IS GUARANTEED BY ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE PRODUCTION CYCLE and surely also the product’s cutting process represents a very delicate phase. If we speak of coreless rolls, this phase can become even more complicated, because here, cutting entails more difficulties with respect to a roll having a cardboard core. This is due to the fact that the lack of an internal core makes for less support during the final cutting phase. Necessity is the mother of invention: the series of Perini new generation industrial log saws have been reviewed and optimized for cutting CoreLess® rolls thanks to the adoption of a new generation of blades and an accurate log control system during positioning. Revision of machine geometry together with the application of a new logic and the new cutting parameters of this series of log saws have led to a quality improvement of the coreless roll. In terms of production efficiency, the mechanical speed attained by these models is of 120 strokes per minute.

THE ENHANCEMENTS BROUGHT TO THE GLUING AND CUTTING PHASES ARE JUST TWO EXAMPLES OF THE KNOW-HOW (since March 2007, six such lines have been produced and installed) and experience acquired by Fabio Perini S.p.A. in the realm of CoreLess® machinery production. A technical wealth and experience in the entire converting process that goes beyond the mere application of mechanical or electronic enhancements and testifies to the leadership of Fabio Perini S.p.A. in the field of the production of rolls with or without a cardboard core (with CoreLess® technology) and a special care given to their final aesthetic aspect. For the company, creating value is a mission that can be undertaken only through investment in Research & Development. And it is for this reason that the developments and the results obtained in the production technology of industrial machinery are fruit of a substantial investment in resources and a strong effort in experimenting avant-garde solutions capable of guaranteeing an optimal final result.

THROUGH A LONG-TERM VISION, THE COMPANY HAS INVESTED IN A TEAM OF EXPERT TECHNICIANS who have the task of answering not only eventual production requests by converters, but above all making their knowledge available directly on the field. A veritable support activity that can be summarized in four fundamental points:

1. Consultancy on the type of paper to be used. The choice of paper used largely determines the success of the final product. Thanks to their knowledge of the process, Fabio Perini S.p.A.’s technicians are able to steer operators in the proper direction in order to obtain a positive result.

2. Choice of embossing. In this case, too, the engraving to be adopted is a determining factor for the result of the final product. Just like the choice of whether or not to emboss effects the circular geometry of the core hollow. The competence acquired by the technical team allows advising both the type of embossing and the engraving to be adopted. The depth of the engraving, just like the shape and density of the points (variable and depending on the presence of lamination) can substantially influence the aesthetic aspect of the finished product and the line’s production performance.

3. Analysis of the winding parameters. This analysis aims at evaluating the optimization of a roll according to its internal and external diameter and the quantity of paper required. These results, together with the experience matured, allow supplying a complete picture of the feasibility and enhancement of the product. Thanks to the latest patented winding technologies, Fabio Perini S.p.A. can work with all the parameters more greatly subject to variation. Let’s take the example of the TIME winding system. In this case, thanks to the help of tutors, better known as “punzoncini”, it is possible to change the roll’s density to a greater percentage with respect to any other winding system currently present on the market. In this case, too, process know-how goes to the advantage of the entire production cycle, allowing to change all winding parameters, exploiting all the advantages in terms of flexibility that derive from it. Indeed, winding parameters greatly influence the geometry of the core hollow and consequently, the aesthetic aspect of the finished product.

4. Choice and analysis of the cutting parameters. Perini’s technical team can supply the appropriate assistance, acquired in the course of the years, to suggest the setting of cutting parameter adjustments for coreless products that require greater care and attention in this phase.

THIS SUPPORT ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS HOW KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS IS A FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT FOR FINAL PRODUCT QUALITY. Today, CoreLess® products allow savings both in terms of raw materials (coreboard for core production) and offer the possibility of diversifying, facilitating the manufacture of innovative products. From an environmental point of view, for the consumer they represent products that are also usable until the very end. The improved aesthetic aspect, the possibility of use as center-pull towels, together with the chance to personalize not only the roll itself but also the dispenser, make CoreLess® an example of industrial product with the potential to become a star in the AfH market scenario. And to favour the enhanced appeal of the product is also the implementation and development of a system of hardening of the central core hollow that can vary according to the specific requests of the converter. This hardening system favours maintaining a stable and resistant structure even in the absence of the cardboard core.

TODAY, MANUFACTURING MACHINES IS “RATHER” SIMPLE, BUT THE CAPABILITY OF INTERPRETING AND KNOWING THE ENTIRE PRODUCTION CYCLE IS NOT AS SIMPLE. In synthesis: experience, knowledge of the production process together with technology, guarantee the success and quality of the final product. Machinery evolution has led to an upgrade in the quality of the industrial roll and consequently of the entire category.

Surely, innovation re-qualifies the product and re-positions it. And if it is true that the secret to success is differentiation, then we can safely state that the lines of Fabio Perini S.p.A.’s industrial range allow to re-qualify the industrial roll in terms of aesthetics.