Based in the technical footwear district in Montebelluna, New Press manages to stand out thanks to a corporate philosophy grounded in product quality and in customer service.
New Press was founded in 1979, at the dawn of the stunning growth in the demand for ski boots made in Montebelluna. A family-owned business, established by the brothers Dino and Antonio Caverzan, at the core of a supply chain that has turned the production cluster based in Treviso province into the world’s sports footwear capital. Today, side by side with their parents, still very much involved in the firm’s management, the second generation carries on, with enthusiasm and with well-honed skills, a long-standing tradition in the screen printing and high frequency sectors, dealing with the trends and development of an ever-changing market. Fabio and his cousin Massimo outlined perfectly the corporate values.
Fabio Caverzan, can you tell us more about the firm’s establishment, development and core business?
One of the first Veneto-based screen-printing enterprises, New Press was founded in 1979 in Montebelluna by my father Dino and his brother Antonio. Back then, every house hosted a small family business dealing with the ski boots’ different processing phases. From the humble beginnings to date, the company has kept on growing, becoming one of the most prominent firms in the Montebelluna cluster, featuring 40 skilled employees and specialized in the manufacturing of semi-finished articles, entirely made in Italy, for sports footwear. We manage the whole process in-house, relying on a qualified supplier only for the making of moulds.
Until ten or so years ago, the processing of ski boots’ accessories, from straps to uppers and labels, accounted for the whole of the corporate turnover. With the evolution of R&D projects dedicated to new materials, we have widened our scope of action, focusing on safety footwear as well; also the demand for cycling shoes has grown exponentially. Lately, partnerships with the fashion sector generate 20% of proceeds. Thanks to our well-established in screen printing and high frequency applied to technical materials, we are suitably equipped to handle peculiar processing requirements, a necessary feat given the footwear industry’s growing interest in the combination between fashionable details and the sportswear world.
What are your key strengths compared to the competitors?
First of all, besides product quality, responsiveness: our size in terms of personnel and equipment allows us to handle orders as quickly as possible. We rely on an efficient sales team, the speed applied to prototyping and sample-making operations goes hand in hand with the care for details and the customization of articles, as well as with the compliance with the increasingly tight delivery schedules demanded by the market.
What is the role played by R&D projects in your sector, even sustainability-wise?
There are many ways to foster innovation. Research projects focus mainly on new materials and new colours. We have conceived solutions featuring eco-friendly materials, although this is not yet a key trend in the technical footwear sector, with the exception of some prominent sports brands that are investing in recycling. We keep testing our processing techniques on an ample range of materials and combinations, putting in the limelight their potential in proprietary collections. We carry out colour fastness tests in-house. We use only quality certified raw materials (PVC, fabrics, polyurethanes, microfibres, leather). Technology-wise, we have been investing in machinery automation. Recently, we have implemented new laser systems (no longer featuring the classic cutting dies), able to further speed up the prototyping and sample-making phases. In this way, we can shape the customers’ ideas in a very short time.
Nowadays, what does it mean to be part of Montebelluna’s Sportsystem?
It means being able to rely, within a few kilometres, on the partnership of the world’s most prominent enterprises when it comes to climbing boots, safety and hiking shoes. This closeness is an asset, because it allows to efficiently manage the relationship with the clientele. We believe that a direct, quick dialogue is the key to the making of an excellent product.
Antonio Caverzan