(Ocotober 5, 2015) Arti Grafiche Boccia is among the companies selected by Intesa Sanpaolo to present within the Waterstone exhibition area at Expo 2015. Its presence at the world fair fits into the Salerno-based company’s process of growth and diversification. For a while now it has been expanding its portfolio beyond the publishing industry to provide printed material for the agro-food industry, including labels, sleeves and cases, and it has become one of the main players in the sector. One of the strengths of the company, which has invested more than 54 million euros in machines and technology over the past five years, is its constant search for innovation in organization, processes and products. Recently it invested in the Cerutti S96 flexo-rotary press, which helped the company consolidate its collection of machines and generate significant economies of scale, while at the same time transferring experience in newspapers to large retail chains. Overnight the machine is used for printing local, national and international newspapers while in the day it is used for printed material for retail chains, with production times comparable to those of newspapers. It offers a unique service for Italian clients in terms of the number of pages it can handle (from 8 to 96 pages in full colour tabloid size) and the possibility to make plate changes starting from 1,000 copies at really competitive costs. The acquisition fits into a company strategy of growth and product diversification with its entry also in the packaging industry, through the purchase of two Bobst diecutters, and the entry in the sleeves and cases sector, with an increase in sales for the competent division of more than 60 percent within one year (January 2014-January 2015). A further investment was made in the Heidelberg XL-105-6 colours offset machine, operational since June 2015. This machine is helping the company grow its presence in the agro-food business and in the printing of specialised periodicals and magazines. The company’s strategy is to consolidate its presence in the European market, with a particular focus on Italy, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK and Germany. The design and production of innovative products and services will be pursued in the near future by taking a series of steps, firstly by adopting a start-up. Currently under discussion with professors and university departments, this is aimed at strengthening alliances with start-up companies and developing new cooperation initiatives between art and industry, based on a model already developed by Arti Grafiche Boccia in the last few years. “The key to facing the crisis is not to resist but to act,” said Vincenzo Boccia, chief executive of the company. “Doing business means changing the limits of opportunity. With the arrival of the internet, rather than getting depressed about the risks of contraction in the printing sector, we widened our vision. Client files and data are now coming in quickly, and we have passed from the regional market of 20 years ago to the European market. And Salerno, with its position midway between Europe and the Mediterranean, represents a major strategic platform.” (red)
