Manufacturing Today Issue - 229 Oct 2024 | Page 78

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Packaging pioneers

Gruppo Fabbri Vignola is leading the way for sustainable packaging solutions across Europe

With more than 70 years of experience in the food packaging sector , Gruppo Fabbri Vignola S . p . A ( Fabbri Group ) is at the forefront of a leading industrial group in the production and sale of machinery and films for food packaging solutions . Headquartered in Italy , the company supplies retailers , food industries , and fresh food producers with neutral or printed stretch films and barrier films that guarantee freshness for produce like meat , fish , cheese , baked goods , fruit , and vegetables .

Fabbri Group ’ s origins date back to a small printing house founded in 1870 , which Ennio Fabbri took over in the 1930s and later transformed into Fabbri Arti Grafiche . With one of the world ’ s first installations of flexographic and rotogravure presses for printing fruit packaging , the business began developing food packaging solutions in the 1950s .
Expansion and innovation have remained at the forefront of Fabbri Group ’ s mission . In 1960 , Ermanno Fabbri founded Automac and launched the first machine that automatically wrapped citrus fruits in specialized waxed paper . This was the beginning of the current strategy of ‘ integrated synergy ’ between machines and films , which aims to offer a complete food packaging system to the market . Three years later , in 1963 , Automac designed and launched automatic machines for the use of shrink film in book , newspaper , and magazine packaging , diversifying its product portfolio into new sectors .
Today , Fabbri Group has grown to more than 500 employees and over 130 patents in several countries , as well as managing a vast network of branches through subsidiaries and authorized distributors . The company operates four production units , three of which are in Italy with a supporting site in Switzerland , as well as nine direct assistance
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