Tradition and innovation, history and future. We visited Panotec, the Treviso-based company specializing in packaging machines and solutions, to see their work firsthand. Our guide was Carlo Capoia, Vice President of the group…
About 120 employees, a turnover of around 25 million euros, and a solid presence in Europe, Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Panotec has evolved alongside its industry, transitioning from artisanal tradition to the development of intelligent, modular systems for the packaging world, thanks to technological innovation that has transformed both hardware and software. A company that has successfully combined the quality of “Made in Italy” with automation and digitalization, meeting the new demands of the market. We discussed this evolution with Carlo Capoia, vice president of Panotec, who told us the story of a company that, despite its international growth, has managed to maintain the right balance between an expanding enterprise and a family dimension that has been – and still is – its strength.
Carlo Capoia.
“Our journey with Panotec – Carlo Capoia explains – began in the 1990s, when my father Giuseppe, who initially managed the company’s software components, saw its potential and decided to take it over between 1999 and 2001. A path that started over twenty years ago and has led us to become an internationally recognized company that doesn’t just make machines to cut cardboard, but designs integrated solutions that pair, close, glue, label, print, and palletize boxes in a fully automated and on-demand manner.
Today, Panotec operates two production facilities, one in Cimadolmo (Treviso), where we produce standard machines for customized packaging, and one in Formigine (Modena), dedicated to complete, automated, and personalized systems, plus a branch in France.
Originally – Carlo Capoia elaborates – in Cimadolmo we managed both standard and “special” productions, but as demand for customized solutions increased, we moved the latter to the new Formigine facility, acquired through the takeover of a company focused on complete automation. It was a strategic choice, stemming from the awareness that standard and special products require different approaches, processes, and skills.
Over time, we also acquired a machine shop that now allows us to produce about 30 percent of our machines’ technological components in-house, giving us direct control over these processes, better managing production times and costs, and enhancing our competitiveness in a sector that has undergone significant changes in approach and technology over the years.
This evolution – he continues – has driven us to continuously invest in research and the development of solutions that meet an increasingly demanding market in terms of productivity, efficiency, and timing, leading us to specialize in the production of machines for customized packaging. This vision led us to develop, among other things, modular and fully customizable automation for real-time packaging, and the ‘Opera’ line, specifically designed for e-commerce and capable of creating made-to-measure packages and automating the entire boxing process. We currently have about 25 units sold on international markets”.
A growth in technology, but we imagine also in competitors, especially with the advent of e-commerce…
“That’s right. Over the last few years, the on-demand packaging sector has seen significant growth. When we started, there were only two companies working on these solutions, and it was a very – if you’ll allow me the term – niche sector, with technology we could define as “Made in Italy”, since both companies were Italian. Over time, the market has grown exponentially, thanks not only to the widespread use of the internet and online sales, but also to the increasing digitalization of businesses. Today, companies are offering more digital services, becoming more flexible and adaptable to customer needs. The rise in demand for on-demand packaging is a direct consequence.
Over the years, new competitors have also emerged in various parts of the world, such as Asia, Germany, Poland, and even Italy itself. That’s why, to remain competitive in an increasingly challenging market, we haven’t “rested on our laurels” but continued to seek out new ideas and ever more efficient solutions, focusing on the reliability of our machines, but above all on the experience we’ve built over the years, from my father to a seasoned team that has “grown” together and to which we’ve gradually added a new generation, creating a mix, I must say, that is particularly effective, combining experience and new perspectives, with balance as its strength”, said Carlo Capoia.
“Taking a holistic view has become increasingly crucial, because today the “game” is played on multiple fronts: staying competitive in the market is no longer just a matter of hardware technology, but also of having responsive software that allows our customers to integrate our solutions directly with their Erp systems, with tracking and reporting tools that enable real-time monitoring of productivity, efficiency, and other vital metrics, through a system capable of performing data queries simply and instantly.
As is clear, technology today is increasingly accessible to all, but it’s the ability to handle the challenges of flexible automation that makes systems efficient. On-demand packaging is no longer a niche: it’s a necessity. Customers today, with increasingly variable production, are looking for solutions that can manage these variations quickly and efficiently. It’s no longer just about stand-alone machines, but fully automated systems that can handle variable parcels in short timeframes, optimizing every stage of the production process. This applies across all sectors.
To give an example relevant to Xylon International readers, in recent years the furniture industry has undergone a significant transformation. In the past, operating margins were wider, but today they’re narrowing, making operational efficiency – and therefore machine efficiency – essential. With increased production and the need for greater flexibility, packaging systems have become a critical factor, capable of making a real difference, for example, ensuring a product reaches its destination safely, where damage would otherwise result in a “loss on the balance sheet” and an increase in returns, which is one of the key issues for the future. Moreover, it may seem obvious, but today a box must not only protect, but also reflect the value of the product: if a piece of furniture is high-end, the box must reflect that value, both in safety and design”.
What is the challenge of tomorrow?
“The challenge of tomorrow is to continue evolving in a market that is rapidly changing and demands increasingly flexible, interconnected, efficient, and sustainable solutions. Today, value is not just about the product, but the ability to offer complete support: from consultancy to customized design, all the way to solutions that can adapt to vastly different production contexts. An integrated approach aimed at anticipating market needs before they become emergencies. We want Panotec to be a brand that can serve as many clients as possible, and for this reason we are constantly developing new solutions. One example of our vision is “Smart”, a new technology we recently launched, more economically accessible but able to meet market demands for quality and productivity.
Not only that, we’re designing integrated modules for plants, combining machines and forming systems into a monobloc structure to facilitate adoption by customers, making the solutions more competitive in terms of economies of scale and environmental sustainability, with new regulations and ethical choices changing the market in terms of materials, energy impact, and sustainability. We have customers who have been using the same systems for 20 years, a sign that our quality continues to make a difference in the long term.
In addition to machine production, in recent years we’ve integrated on-demand printing modules into our systems, entirely designed and engineered by us. These systems allow for direct printing on the box – logos, branding, labels, even the final customer’s data – eliminating in many cases the need for stickers. This technology allows us to manage batch-one production even in printing, with greater efficiency, lower costs, and a much leaner process.
You see, the world keeps evolving, and beyond the ability to make the right, well-thought-out decisions and investments, training will also be crucial, having a service team that is always ready, competent, and able to respond quickly to customer queries and resolve any issues as fast as possible. This is why over the years we’ve invested in our own “Academy” to properly train our field technicians, our dealers, and we’re still investing in internal training to ensure that the know-how we’ve built over nearly forty years of Panotec’s history is not only preserved but remains a recognizable and transferrable asset”.
Is wood still important for you or are you looking at other materials?
“Wood is fundamental for us and has always been in our Dna. Panotec was born in wood, from consulting experiences in this sector, which still represents about 50 percent of our turnover. It’s a far-from-saturated market, and the transition from what I’d call obsolete packaging technologies to more modern and efficient solutions is inevitable: those who don’t automate today risk shrinking margins and out-of-control costs.
Even smaller companies – as well as most large ones – have now realized that the challenge lies in automation and logistics. And it’s precisely with companies approaching packaging technology for the first time that we’ve designed “Smart’”, which allows the production of custom-sized boxes, reduces transported air, optimizes materials, and simplifies operator tasks, while allowing future upgrades”.
How do you see the future of the furniture sector and where will Panotec fit into it?
“For the future, I truly hope that every furniture manufacturer will have a Panotec machine (he smiles, editor’s note). It would be a natural evolution, especially since the ‘Made in Italy’ furniture sector, like us, is facing increasingly complex challenges, with imposing competitors coming from the East. Our job is one of constant change: you have to evolve, work, and always create something new. Furniture, in particular, will have to adapt to contemporary lifestyles, becoming increasingly modular and flexible”.
By Francesco Inverso
panotec.com
