Gambini introduces Hammerless, and reconfirms as a leader in flexibility and performances

The company researches, designs and manufactures technologically advanced machinery for the converting and the production of tissue products for hygiene and personal care, both for the Consumer and for the Professional sector. Its complete offer expresses the achievement of the concept of Perflexion, which is the combination of flexibility and performance, which is reflected in the composition of its lines and in their modularity to adapt to different production needs, guaranteeing thus high levels of operating efficiency.

TissueMAG made a journey into the industrial philosophy of Gambini S.p.A. in the company of Sales and Marketing Director Carlo Berti and found out that the focus on innovation, which has lasted for almost 150 years, is the result of an incessant search of flexibility and performance that goes beyond the production process and that over the years has become a real mindset. Hammerless, the new ply-bonding system that allows to join two plies without mechanical bonding is yet another proof of it.

TissueMAG: Dr. Berti, at Gambini over the last years, especially with the birth of TMax, we have witnessed a technological acceleration in terms of embossing, where you are the leader. How does the new Hammerless system fit in this relentless innovation process?
TMax represents the highest point of development of all the concepts of efficiency, the ready to use and interchangeability that Gambini has brought in the tissue sector over the years. Its excellent versatility is in some way a mirror of the versatility of our R&D, which for years has looked for cutting-edge solutions that can adapt to every need. Our mission is to innovate, creating thus value for the customer. To achieve this goal it is essential to be totally flexible: flexibility can actually represent a value itself, since it leads to pay attention to the other, which may mean satisfying the market demands or listening to the customer needs. Being open to discussion leads to an equal partnership, a participation made of respect and proactivity that makes things happen. Hammerless was created by our technicians as a reply to a request from one of our customers. There was the necessity of keeping together two smooth plies without complicating the line with other machine parts: therefore, we designed a new ply-bonding system that involves only the embosser.

TissueMAG: Do you think that the need of your customer from whom the idea of Hammerless was created may be a need shared by others as well?
When we find a way to simplify a manufacturing process and to increase quality and efficiency while reducing the production costs, there is no customer who is not interested. The mechanical coupling is of course still a valid system, however, which however requires a lot of maintenance. Try to imagine a line that can keep together two plies without adding any other machine part, simply using what is already
there, such as the embosser. Only because it eliminates a machine part, it allows also to eliminate all the difficulties that inevitably go along with it. The mechanical ply-bonding system is noisy, easily worn out, and it requires a constant maintenance just to realign the wheels, resulting in a waste of time and money. The idea of using the existing embosser and without modifications, not to emboss but only to laminate, using a small amount of glue, has been a real revolution.

TissueMAG: To summarize, which are the real benefits of the new ply-bonding system Hammerless?
More quality of the product, in less time, with less maintenance, less mechanical parts to be added to the line and, therefore, less costs. We have reduced the complexity to increase the benefits. With Hammerless there are no consumable parts, which are instead many with the mechanical ply-bonding system, where it is necessary to replace not only the wheels but also the counter-roll. As you know, the machines must stop to change any mechanical part, and the cost which impacts more for each manufacturer is exactly the downtime. Add to this that with our type of ply-bonding it is possible to carry out simultaneously an operation of coloration and perfumetion of the product, operation which is not achievable with the standard mechanical ply-bonding system. Hammerless is a system that could prove to be very useful for the away from home market and for all the products for the community, where the mechanical coupling is usually widely used.

Gambini is focused on innovation, research, flexibility and performance

 

TissueMAG: How was the idea of the campaign “Save the Tissue” born?
When we tried to give a name to the new coupling system, we focused on the benefits that ply-bonding could bring to the paper, and that the standard mechanical ply-bonding could not achieve, instead: the main benefit was keeping the plies together without hitting them, hence the name hammerless. This lack of mechanical “hits” made us think of a campaign which could be a bit ironic, against the mistreatment of the tissue. With Hammerless the paper is not embossed and even not ply-bonded, therefore there is really no kind of abuse of the two plies, which are kept together, so to speak, without constraint.

TissueMAG: Can we say that innovation for Gambini is played mainly on the embossing?
Let’s start by saying that we are the number ones in the area of embossing. In the converting area there are two strategic machines: the rewinder, that wraps the paper on the core and makes the log, and the embosser. Gambini has shifted the focus of the world of Tissue from the rewinder to the embosser thanks to TMax, and the market has proved us right. The final consumer tends to choose the roll for its softness, strength, absorbency and in general for the quality of the paper, characteristics that have to do with the embossing and the lamination. That’s exactly where we focused all of our innovative energy, on a process where we are leaders and that can really make the difference on the finished product. I can reveal you in advance that the news for Gambini, in fact, do not end with Hammerless. Soon the TMax family will expand, increasing our visibility on the market, always in the light of Perflexion philosophy, in order to share with many more customers flexibility and performance.

Advanced machinery for the converting and the production of tissue products