High attendance, keen interest in the new displayed machines, dozens of contracts signed during and just after the fair and, above all, a capacity to provide the market with cutting-edge technologies and solutions across multiple businesses and product lines. With results like these, the Sacmi Group is extremely satisfied with its performance at the 2018 edition of the international Ceramitec fair in Munich.
The Sacmi stand dedicated plenty of space to new pressing technologies, showcasing machines for both special pressing (with 4.0-focused metal powder and refractory solutions by Sacmi Imola and Laeis respectively) and tableware (with solutions from German subsidiary Sama).
Sacmi, which ended 2017 with one of the Group's best-ever performances in the metal powder business, presented the new MPH2002, an upgrade of the machine that has been generating excellent market feedback for three years now, especially in Germany. Innovative structural and hydraulic solutions – which reduce consumption by 40% and boost productivity by 50% – provide recognised performance. On the new MPH2002, that performance is combined with the integration of key accessories and 4.0 functions. In this “total traceability” era, Sacmi is also the first company to present a laser-type piece marking system, equipped with reader and relative supervisor.
Remaining in the special pressing field, Laeis, a leading provider of presses and plants to the refractory industry, showcased solutions that have, with the latest generation of HPF machines, innovated the industry profoundly. Visitors to the fair, in fact, had the opportunity to see the new high performance HPF V 1000. Here, the technology has been combined with new services and 4.0 diagnostic solutions thanks to the advent of even more optimized worker interfaces and hardware/software innovations (e.g. auto-adjust hydraulic pump and controls to improve diagnostics and reduce line downtimes) that ensure this machine provides a suitable response to the industry's speed, productivity and efficiency needs. Laeis has achieved such results thanks also to close support from Alpha Ceramics, an advanced research facility (part of the Team by Sacmi alliance) where major innovations take shape before being industrialised and launched on the market.
Participation in this year's edition of Ceramitec was characterised by the Group's leadership across multiple fields and industries. Clear evidence of that - alongside the PM and refractory solutions - took the form of a third press, presented by Sama: the new PHO 700 GREEN for tableware, which attracted over 100 visits by specialised operators every day of the fair. Moreover, just before the start of the fair Sama held a special open day that saw over 200 people visit its new F.I.T. lab, a major facility that develops and engineers products alongside the customer. More powerful and innovative, the PHO 700 GREEN provides higher pressing power (700 t) and minimises size changeover times (just a few minutes, as visitors were able to see for themselves during the numerous demonstrations). It also offers unique opportunities in terms of design, versatility and process optimisation, not to mention the lowest ever energy consumption.
Riedhammer is renowned for its unrivalled technical and sanitaryware firing solutions, installed all over the globe. At Ceramitec the firm showcased its 90 years of experience in the manufacture of kiln plants for the ceramic and advanced ceramics industry. Riedhammer supplies special kilns for refractory items, anodized aluminium and key lithium battery components and other cutting-edge items. Alongside these, it continues to supply solutions for its core business: high performance, energy-saving sanitaryware and tableware firing plants.
The 2018 edition of Ceramitec also generated keen interest in new Sacmi Digital, decoration solutions; these included the new DHD708 wet digital decoration module by Sacmi Intesa. A fully functioning example of the latter, equipped with a plate position reader, was on display at the fair to show visitors unprecedented tableware decoration opportunities. Over the coming weeks Sacmi's determination to extend the advantages of digital decoration to this sector will be put to the test on the market when the new module is installed by a major Italian tableware manufacturer.