Much more than a simple machinery manufacturer: the historic company based in Veneto is the ideal partner for its clientele, able to develop cutting-edge technologies designed to fulfill specific production needs. Thanks to a long-standing experience and to a well-established, widely praised know-how, Officine di Cartigliano is a prominent firm in the design and making of tanning machines, namely, staking machines, dryers and conditioning units as well as plants for the drying of industrial sludge – state-of-the-art and bespoke technologies that guarantee the utmost efficiency, top-notch results and the highest quality and performance standards, purposefully conceived to meet the production requests of each single customer, ranging from multinational corporations to SMEs. We interviewed the chairman Tony Polato, his son Alvise and Vera Vangelista, sales manager, who explained in detail the secrets to the corporate success.
Customization: how much do you value this concept? “We give an added value to your product”: this is our slogan. As a matter of fact, we do not simply manufacture and supply machinery: Officine di Cartigliano provides technologies and know-how. The aim is to help, to give an effective support the customers, putting at their disposal cutting-edge plants and systems, tailored on their specific production needs. We are a trustworthy partner for the global tanning community, ranging from small- sized, local enterprise to international industrial groups. We deem imperative to establish a collaboration bond with the end user, so as to fully understand one’s specific requests and, consequently, to develop bespoke solutions featuring durable performances and constant results. This is the key to our success.
Can you tell us more about your clientele? We are geared up to cooperate with both SMEs and large tanning groups with branch offices all over the world: the latter have to manage significant production volumes and so they require technologies that can ensure the utmost repeatability of processes and results. We are the most prominent enterprise in the conditioning field: our machines are used to process more than 70% of the total amount of hides on a global scale, especially those of mid-to-high-end quality to be used in the automotive as well as in the fashion industry.
How many resources do you invest in research on an annual basis? Each year, we invest a 5% share of the corporate turnover in R&D activities. Technicians and customers can thoroughly test the machinery at our premises, so as to see first-hand what kind of results and performances can be achieved; furthermore, we organize seminars and open days to better present our technologies. At the same time, significant resources are poured in improving the plants’ design: as a matter of fact, we provide effective and innovative as well as well-crafted solutions, much to the clientele’s satisfaction.
You have recently launched a cutting-edge innovation, that in, the new radiofrequency plant RF Finishing. What are its main features? It’s a truly groundbreaking development, designed to solve an issue highlighted by our customers when using traditional technologies, that is, a yield loss from 5% to 8% during the finishing phase – a problem resulting also in a marked decrease in quality and performance standards. As a matter of fact, if dried at extremely high temperatures (120°), hides tend to stiffen and to shrink. In order to avoid unnecessary waste of energy and resources, we have developed a smart radiofrequency drying system that allows to heat up only the water, thus ensuring a less aggressive treatment and avoiding any yield loss. This plant ensures unparalleled benefits in terms of productivity as well as concerning the optimization of the processing cycle. www.cartigliano.com
