Gemata, headquartered in Trissino and world’s leader in the field of leather finishing plants, is at the forefront in the production and installation of finishing technologies using release paper: EcoFinish and Green-Finish are the latest innovations. The spotlight is right on those technologies designed to enhance fullgrain hides and to turn second- or even third-rate materials into top-notch solutions. With more than thirty years of experience in the design and installation of finishing plants using release paper, in the last few months, GEMATA – company headquartered in Trissino (Vicenza province), in the heart of the Arzignano’s tanning district – has been adding new features to this range of machinery, resulting in significant benefits from an economic as well as from an environmental point of view. A remarkable strategy carried out by the Veneto-based firm, world’s leader in the manufacturing of leather finishing machines and systems. In the last two years, the clientele’s growing interest has prompted GEMATA to launch on market two cutting-edge machines, called Eco-Finish and Green-Finish respectively, able to rapidly process large production volumes.
Gianni Maitan
“We have been among the very first ones to develop said technology,” confirmed Gianni Maitan, chairman of the company. “It is very popular, back in the spotlight. Currently, it is arousing more and more curiosity, even though it is difficult to tell what to expect in the mid/long term. Nevertheless, the interest is real, also due to the fact that are used small, thin grains, and this system allows to achieve quality finishing standards. Actually, this is not a brand-new innovation, since the use of “embossed” paper to mark leather dates back to fifty years ago, especially in the faux leather sector, where it is still used. 1.470 mt. was the traditional width required for this type of paper, later on there has been an increase in the demand for 2/2.1000 mt, even though only the standard size is immediately available.”
Therefore, as far as this technology is concerned, you have been among the pioneers…
Yes, it happened in 1995, when GEMATA G2, basically Giacomo Agosto and myself, filed a patent entailing a technique to press the adhesive on the “crust”, the latter a system that allowed to save up all the adhesive usually threw away after paper coating. At that time, it was a cutting-edge innovation for the market and, for that reason, we opted for a “protected patent”, a high-priced solution, whose protection extended to the USA, Brazil and other countries. We manufactured three plants, out of which one was exported to France, while another was installed in a local tannery. Even then, it was an expensive machine, and such an investment was balanced by the significant volumes of leather to be processed daily.
And then what happened?
In 2003, the owners of Conceria Silvia, another company headquartered. in the Arzignano’s district, placed an order for a complete plant, equipped with drying tunnels and spray lines, two components that we had started manufacturing in the meantime. However, in the early 2000s, the market was experiencing a booming phase and we had our hands full with the production of our tanning machines, so we chose to take on only specific commissions. In the following years, this system was even copied by others, up to the point where we had to turn to lawyers in order to safeguard our rights.
LINEA ECOFINISH PER NOBILITAZIONE PELLI – Spraystar
When did leather finishing with release paper come back in the spotlight?
Since the second half of 2017. As a result of the interest shown by several customers, last year, we chose to resume its production one again, thanks also to the fact that we already had at hand the required technology and to an in-house laboratory used for tests and trials. We then focused on the manufacturing of this large plant, handling three orders proceeding from just as many Italian companies, two based in Arzignano and one in Santa Croce, Tuscany. One of these finishing lines, at the service of international high-end fashion, has already been active for months, while the other two have been implemented lately: we have called it Eco-Finish, thus using one of the two brands, already registered in Europe and in the USA for both the finishing machines and for the end product. Eco-Finish has been designed as a low impact machine that employs spray technologies as well, while Green-Finish,
the second brand, is provided with a fully roller system, therefore even more eco-friendly.
What are your plans for the upcoming years? And what are the most promising markets?
We are promoting this technology both in Italy and worldwide, getting a positive feedback, even though, at the moment, it is quite difficult to make more precise assumptions. We are negotiating some deals abroad, in Korea and in several other countries, China included. Large-sized tanneries are the most interested, because this plant ensures excellent productivity standards, but it requires suitable spaces, since it is more than 50 metres long. Compared to the past, these machines are incredibly faster and are able to, just to give some facts, process up to six hides per minute, a truly remarkable volume especially when it comes to a through-feed plant. The true competitive benefit we can guarantee lies in the fact that GEMATA is globally acknowledged as the most prominent company in the field of roller finishing plants and our technicians can customize and easily provide assistance all over the world. www.gemata.it