We are in Lucca, in the heart of the Tissue Valley, where, in 1944 the company A.Celli was born as an artisan workshop first and an industrial entity later. A wholly Italian, family-run firm.
Maura Leonardi
Founded by Alvaro Celli, sons Marco and Piero took over the helm in 1960, and in 1991 the third generation arrived with Mauro and Alessandro. In 2003, A.Celli was split into two companies limited by shares working in two distinct markets: A.Celli Paper S.p.A., specialized in the field of machines for tissue and flat papers, and A.Celli Nonwovens, specialized – as the name says – in machinery for nonwovens. The Group also boasts a consolidated experience in the field of roll handling, both for tissue and nonwovens, with over 70 latest-generation installations worldwide. 72 years of growth and success stories whose common denominator is the solid heritage of values transmitted by the Celli family and extraordinary technical expertise.
AS OF AUGUST 2015, MARIO FAZZI IS MANAGING DIRECTOR OF A.CELLI PAPER. Today, the A.Celli Group counts 225 employees and an overall turnover of 100 million euro, with exports to 46 countries exceeding 95% of its production. An established brand whose technology is acknowledged worldwide but that remains closely tied to its origins and is founded on the enhancement of its human resources. MD Mario Fazzi describes the Group’s special bond with the territory: “Our company was born and has grown within the local industrial fabric. Throughout the years, it has developed strong competence and knowledge in the field of paper and tissue production and has been successful in exporting its innovation and skills on a global scale.
CUSTOMERS ACKNOWLEDGE OUR HIGH DESIGN QUALITY IN THE FIELD OF AUTOMATION that, together with the experience of our paper experts, allows us to offer qualified, consistent support. With this scope in mind, in the course of time, two foreign subsidiaries have been opened: A.Celli International, in Concord, North Carolina (USA) for the US market, and A.Celli Shanghai Machinery, headquartered in China, for the Asian market. The Group companies work in synergy with one another, placing the skills matured in the respective fields at each other’s disposal, with the aim of optimizing and developing vanguard machines, guaranteeing consistent growth.
WE ARE NOW AT THE THIRD GENERATION AND THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE CELLI FAMILY AND THEIR DETERMINATION TO INVEST IN THIS FIELD ARE STILL STRONG. A driven generation that meets challenges head-on in order to reach new goals. Among the points of strength that the global market acknowledges us is the thoroughness of our knowhow in the technical/production sphere, our proven expertise and the solidity of a Group that always sets new objectives for itself.” And Fazzi continues: “Today more than ever, the global market and our competitors are increasingly fierce and knowledgeable: this spurs us to improve and to implement the quality and efficiency of our systems.”
THE A.CELLI GROUP HAS BEEN ABLE TO GROW AND DEVELOP, leaving behind a culture oriented only towards mechanical production in order to successfully become an evolved technical hub whose main goal is to guarantee its customers the best results in terms of performance, innovation, quality and optimization of investments. Focusing on long-term partnerships and on an intense R&D activity, the Group is today a global reference in its fields.
AND AS A SOLID DEMONSTRATION OF THIS COMMITMENT, the Group’s R&D department has recently developed a new patent for the Steel Yankee: a new manufacturing technology allows the entire shell to be forged from a single piece of steel with no welds, and it can be used for all diameters on a single wire (3m), while for twin-wire (6m) only the circumferential weld is necessary. The elimination of welds sensibly reduces mechanical issues while at the same time guaranteeing greater solidity and improved heat transmission. “We use the levers of innovation and of R&D – foundational elements of our Mission – to grow our knowledge and ensure our customers flexibility and attention, the best solutions throughout all project phases up to the turn-key solution. And all this through relationships based on corporate ethics. Our staff’s professional training is also another of our strong points: only highly qualified resources can guarantee the success of our products, making the company dynamic and flexible. The market is continually evolving and changing quickly: we must be ready to face and win the challenges that await us”, concludes Mario Fazzi.
THE A.CELLI GROUP’S GLOBAL PRESENCE COUNTS 979 INSTALLED UNITS, among which 74 tissue machines – 9 of which are turn-key projects – 183 tissue and paper rewinders and 75 handling systems. The latest installation in the paper realm was in May of this year at Pehart Tec Group (see p.49) in Romania: a tissue machine for the production of toilet tissue with a capacity of 110 tons per day. And the Mexican company Fábricas de Papel Potosí, too, present in the South American market for over 30 years, has recently chosen A.Celli, purchasing a new TM that guarantees optimal quality performance and paper. The machine has a width of 2850 mm, a working speed of 1500 m/min, a production capacity of 80 tpd and mounts a 12’ Steel Yankee equipped with latest-generation hoods. Over 70 years of experience are, for the A.Celli Group, a new starting point because, as underscored in the slogan that characterized its 70th Anniversary celebrations: “The best is yet to come!” *