Accounted among the most prominent Italian enterprise in its sector, Tacchificio Monti has finally managed to get the coveted GRS – Global Recycle Standard – certification, a reward for its commitment to an eco-friendly, responsible production.
A keen eye for quality, manufacturing speed and precision, well-established know-how: these are just some of the features that have helped Tacchificio Monti establish itself as a market leader and arouse the interest of the most prominent fashion brands, both foreign and domestic ones. The firm headquartered in Marzabotto, Bologna province, specialized in the manufacturing of heels, soles accessories for high-end women’s footwear, undertook, during the year marked by the health emergency, two strategic initiatives: on the one hand, the design of a brand-new accessories collection for shoes, leather goods and garments, conceived to branch out production and to meet an ampler range of requirements, while, on the other, the achievement of the coveted GRS certification that highlights it commitment in terms of eco-friendly manufacturing procedures.
We met Lara Monti and she outlined in-depth the innovations and the projects either carried out or launched during the pandemic year.
Lara Monti, the pandemic and its consequences have been affecting the market for over a year now. How did you deal with this standstill? And what projects did you develop in the same period?
For us, as for many other enterprises, the drop in orders resulted in a production slowdown, and, for a period, we relied on redundancy funds that helped keep our workforce intact. It was undoubtedly a heavy blow, yet we took advantage of the emergency, so to speak, to pay attention to the needs of some customers, who turned to us for assistance. Hence the idea to develop and manufacture in-house our fashion components collection made with traditional materials such as ABS, TR and TPU. The latest trend concerns ABS moulded chains, articles featuring top-notch lightness properties: an added value compared to metal, even though both models share aligned prices. We launched this line at the Lineapelle edition held in September 2020, and the feedback was fairly positive.
As for production, on the other hand, we focused our efforts and energies on the achievement of a major goal sustainability-wise, that is, the renowned GRS certification, bestowed upon us a few months ago, after almost a year of hard work.
Tacchificio Monti is widely praised for its ability to manage the whole processing cycle, from the initial design to the finishing of the moulded article. Given that the production of heels now goes hand in hand with the accessories line, do you still take care of everything in-house?
Absolutely. We manage in-house the whole processing cycle: we turn to a network of qualified partners, able to comply with our deadlines, only for some special finishes. We have always relied on the best craft and technical skills, on a range of state-of-the-art machines, so as to provide the clientele with a comprehensive service, ensuring speed of execution and bespoke solutions. Even though top brands do not count on a single supplier, the chance to guarantee an all-round service, from A to Z, is a source of pride. Furthermore, we do not set any limit to the clientele’s demands, both style-wise and from a functional point of view. Even the most creative fashion stylist can safely turn to us and to our experience: we do not give up until we have developed a tailored solution, in line with the style requirements as well as with those technical standards that can guarantee first-rate quality, comfort and performances.
The demand for eco-friendly products is now a prominent trend, a way to safeguard the planet. What is your stance in this regard?
The demand is now focusing more and more on quality, rather than quantity, on fast-paced production times, on the use of sustainable procedures and materials. Two years ago, we moved into the new headquarters in Marzabotto, a futuristic facility of 10,000 sqm. (one of the world’s largest heel factories, editor’s note), built in compliance with environmental safeguard specifications. It is equipped with a trigeneration plant, that is, a system that combines co-generation (heat and electrical) with cooling units and evaporation towers: the latter allow to recover the thermal energy produced by the co-generator engine, thus resulting in the cooling energy used to lower the temperature of rooms as well as of moulding machines’ cooling water. Thanks to this plant, we have managed to decrease our energy requirements and, subsequently, CO2 emissions in the atmosphere.
Furthermore, we rely mainly on eco-friendly materials and on cutting-edge, energy-efficient equipment. We have an in-house canteen equipped with recyclable supplies and we have provided our employees with a water bottle to reduce plastic consumption.
However, we achieved the most important objective a few months ago, when we got the GRS – Global Recycle Standard – certification, a proof of our commitment to eco-friendly, responsible production: now we can manufacture regenerated TPU and ABS compunds by using solely waste materials. Almost a year of hard work, yet it was worth the effort and it is a source of pride for us, a pivotal step in the firm’s growth process.
www.tacchificiomonti.com
Tacchificio Monti’s new futuristic headquarters in Marzabotto
The new fashion accessories
A production area; and the automated vertical warehouse