Gemata featured at the Simac Tanning Tech, hosted in September at the Milan Fairgrounds. Area Manager Giovanni Posenato explains new strategies planned to start in 2023
GEMATA of Trissino, a world leader in the production of machinery for the finishing of leather, reclaimed hides and synthetic materials, was confirmed as a major player at the Tanning Tech show, hosted at the Milan Fair at the end of September. The stand of the Veneto manufacturer, one of the largest and able to accommodate several models in the range, was by far one of the most attended. Confirming that GEMATA also represents a point of reference for Italian and foreign operators with regard to technological innovations and developments in the tanning sector. The 2022 edition had as its “topic of discussion” the increase in energy costs and the convenience of using machinery capable of facilitating lower consumption.
“At the Tanning Tech Show in Milan we did well. “ reported of Giovanni Posenato, who was present at the fair and holds the position of Area Manager in GEMATA “It was three intense days. At the fair we exhibited the roller machine GREENSTARs 2400, one of our latest outstanding technologies. The GREENSTARs model with working lights from 1300 to 2400 has been produced since 2020, and to date more than one hundred units have been sold, of which about 60 percent have been sold in the Santa Croce area. During the event we also began to offer the GREENSTAR 3400, which will accompany the MEGASTAR 3400, and will be ready for delivery starting at the end of the year. New models developed for the ECOFINISH and GREENFINISH release paper finishing lines were presented: for example, the GREENFINISH SHORT plant, only 21.5 meters long, with a productivity of 6 m/min, and the standard plant with two coating heads, a 48-meter long line with a productivity of 10 m/min. The system with release paper is having a remarkable success, just think that 20 have been sold since the line was first displayed at the Simac Tanning Tech trade show in 2020.”
“But the innovations are not over,” the GEMATA Area Manager continues, listing the other achievements. “We have redesigned the STARSPLIT splitter to increase its reliability and productivity, so much so that the latest machines installed have 2.5 times the productivity of competitors on the market. The SPRAYSTAR spray booth has been equipped with a new economizer that not only reduces product waste but also measures the coverage of the leather treated, while SPRAYSTORM is particularly appreciated for its smaller size and more uniform distribution of chemical product compared to traditional rotary booths.”
Regarding the impact of the health emergency on the type of clients, he says, “Because of the difficulties in traveling due to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, in the last two years the export share of 67.4 percent has dropped a bit while the Italian share has increased by 4 percentage points, thanks to government incentives such as 4.0 and super-amortization. The consequences were also seen at this fair: despite the high turnout of visitors, there was a lack of Chinese and in general, asian customers. In any case, all visitors who came to the stand showed great attention and interest in our technologies and a great desire to re-start.”
And specifically about future plans Posenato says, “For next year GEMATA will present machines and plants that are more and more automated and with even lower energy consumption, as well as the new DEEPCOLOR 3400 machine for continuous dyeing of entire hides: we already have a first unit that has been working successfully for months at a major tanning group.”
On the issue related to energy consumption, the manager of the Vicenza manufacturer assures, “We have been pursuing a green and environmentally sustainable policy for some time. For thirty years GEMATA has been producing environmentally friendly roller machines with the slogan ‘Less Consumption More Nature’ and advertising them with photos of animals printed on the cover of its brochures. With the new generation of GREENSTAR machines and GREENFINISH plants, GEMATA has achieved concrete and certified savings in both energy and chemical consumption, with absolute minimization of waste. So many customers, because of the new energy crisis that Italy, like other countries, is facing, are abandoning steam, gas and diathermic oil heating in favour of drying tunnels with IR lamps that we first introduced on the market more than 10 years ago, precisely to solve the problem of dust present in all convection tunnels, as well as to achieve greater flexibility and reduced consumption.”
