Packaging perfection

Founded in 1975, Poplast will be celebrating its 50th anniversary next year. The company has grown significantly since its establishment. In the year 2000, turnover was €7 million and there were 48 employees. Now, Poplast generates a turnover of over €110 million and employs 229 people.

“It has been great to see the progress of Poplast in my time here,” said Sales Manager Andrea Ghu. “Through our active R&D department and continuous investments in technology, we have developed innovative and sustainable solutions for the industry.”

The company operates over two plants in Italy, the first in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, and the second in Pistoia, Tuscany. With more than 30,000m2 of space, Poplast manufactures 16 million kilos of packaging a year, which is distributed across Europe and the US.
From a specialised R&D department to a dedicated customer care team, Poplast has the structure to develop and deliver innovative solutions to the flexible packaging market. Services include flexographic and rotogravure printing, plus lamination, laser cutting and more.

Investing in service
Poplast is constantly reinvesting into both technology and people within the company. Since 2015, Poplast has introduced new R&D and sales managers, as well as a new CFO. This leadership team has helped to drive the success of the company into the future.
“In the early 2000s, we began investing into new machinery with our first lamination and rotogravure machines,” commented Mr Ghu. “From 2019, we have invested heavily into our machinery. We have added two new Rotogravure machines, as well as two new Flexographic machines to our fleet.

“The last two of these four machines have been installed this year, which is very exciting. This will not only improve our production capacity, but also our efficiency and design capabilities.”
In addition to printing machines, Poplast has also upgraded its laminating and cutting machines. The company has a total of nine laminating machines, two of which also include laser die cutting. There are also 13 slitter rewinders able to cut panels of up to 1,620mm. A defect control system is equipped to two of the slitters to guarantee a high-quality result.

With a fleet of seven Flexographic and three Rotogravure printers, Poplast offers state-of-the-art services to clients. All machines are equipped with modern control systems for print defects to ensure that every product meets the company’s high-quality standards.

“Our facilities are particularly advanced, but what really distinguishes us as a company is our attentiveness to the needs of customers and the speed at which we can resolve difficulties,” added Mr Ghu. “We have our own raw materials warehouse, which not only accounts for around nine % of our turnover, but also enables us to respond quickly to our clients.
“Furthermore, our graphics office expands upon the quality of our service as it prepares design files internally. This means that we can efficiently create specific designs for each customer and adjust them as necessary. We act quickly and provide tailored solutions to guarantee that individual customer needs are being met.”

Bio-based packaging
The company also positions itself at the forefront of the market in terms of sustainability. With its own solvent recovery plant, Poplast takes back over 450,000 litres of ethyl acetate a year. Carbon beads absorb pollutants from the printing process and then, the solvent retained by the carbon is recovered through a regeneration cycle.
“Solvent is regenerated to a high degree of purity through a distillation column, meaning it can then be reused in production lines,” explained Mr Ghu. “We also utilise regenerative thermal oxidisers to reduce emissions released into the atmosphere. The thermal energy from the operation of the recovery plant is used to heat the production department throughout winter months, saving a lot of energy.”

Additionally, Poplast uses renewable energy from PV installations (as required by Italian regulations) at its site in Castel San Giovanni, Piacenza. This limits the company’s reliance on fossil fuels, reducing its carbon footprint and contribution of harmful emissions.
Not only does Poplast strive to improve the sustainability of its own operation, but it also works to facilitate clients’ environmentally friendly practices. For more than 10 years, the company has been collaborating with customers to develop the most sustainable solutions that reduce energy and resource consumption.

“In comparison to the year 2000, our polyolefin structures now allow a minimum energy saving of 30 per cent, as well as a reduction in thickness by 45 per cent,” continued Mr Ghu. “We have achieved a remarkable amount of progress in making our packaging environmentally friendly. Our solutions allow our customers to operate as sustainably as possible, whilst still maintaining quality and effectiveness.”
Poplast is encouraging clients to utilise PP- or PE-based polyolefin structures, as these have a reduced carbon footprint and are recyclable. All of the company’s materials are certified for recyclability. Cyclos is used to certify polyolefins or OPA/PE, Aticelca for paper and TUV for compostables.

Connecting people
Through collaborative relationships with suppliers, Poplast is able to offer sustainable materials to clients. The company works with the supply chain to develop energy efficient processes and materials, implementing them into customer goods.
“It is vital for us to maintain our relationships with suppliers,” said Mr Ghu. “Not only can we facilitate the exchange of ideas, but it allows us to deliver a better service to our clients. We trust our suppliers and their products, meaning we can be confident in our own services.”
To consolidate these relationships and create new partnerships, Poplast participated in FACHPACH, a European trade fair for packaging, technology and processes. This allowed the company to confront itself with innovations in the sector, as well as present its own.

“Participation in trade fairs abroad is essential to consolidating the image of our company internationally,” added Mr Ghu. “Over the last 10 years, our percentage of foreign market trade has increased from five per cent to 30 per cent. Our goal is to reach 50 per cent within the next four years. To achieve this, we will continue to make connections around the world and demonstrate the quality of our services.”
Poplast will continue to expand internationally into the future, as well as constructing a new plant in Castel San Giovanni, Piacenza (close to the existing one) to increase capacity. The new site has been designed to be sustainable, with advanced production flow, as well as reduced energy consumption and emissions.

Additionally, the company plans to continue investing in employees, as well as encouraging more young people and women to enter the industry. By creating more diversity within the company, Poplast will benefit from different perspectives and secure success into the future.

“I love my work, collaborating with people and being a part of Poplast,” added Mr Ghu, in conclusion. “Here I have the opportunity to be innovative and create real solutions that are also sustainable.”