Sustainability and digitizalization are keywords for ACMA to face the year 2020 in a market almost entirely directed abroad. We asked Federico Testarella, CEO, some reflections on the upcoming months and an overview of the markets where the company, part of the COESIA group, operates.

Which are your technological innovations and proposals for the market?

ACMA has always been characterized by a top-of-the-range offer in the markets in which operates, and the research and development efforts of recent years have focused on maintaining this position of technological leadership, developing increasingly reliable solutions to answer multiple customer needs. Particular attention, especially in the last period, has been given to all issues concerning digital technologies and to the growing attention on sustainability.

The digital innovation of our investment aims at the creation of an increasingly "smart" machine, able to interact effectively with the operator and interpret operating parameters and surrounding conditions in order to optimize its performance in real time. In corporate strategy, this will led to new value creation opportunities with our customers, thanks to the new service models made possible by connected data and machines.

On the topic of sustainability, ACMA is placed as a first-level player, able to support customers from the research and validation of innovative materials to the design of new packaging concepts; just this year ACMA is among the finalists for the Best Packaging Awards with its new proposal for a container for chewing gums, "EcoShell".

Another area of ​​activity is the rating of the sustainability level of our machines: ACMA is in fact working on a methodology to measure the sustainability profile of its machines (machine life cycle assessment) in all life cycle phases, so as to identify strengths and areas to improve its product and production process, to intervene in a targeted manner to enhance the positioning of its products.

What are your expectations for the event?

In our vision, IPACK-IMA is an important show which, during this period of sanitary emergency, takes on even greater value. In fact, after a long stop in trade fairs and international mobility, that may also continue in 2021, IPACK-IMA will probably be the first large-scale event where you can meet customers again in a physical way. Direct contact between customer and company is essential not only for an in-depth knowledge of the product, but also to constantly feed a lasting and effective relationship, with a view of mutual exchange and growth.

Your vision of the current market and the coming months

The international context has generated, in the markets in which ACMA operates, a slowdown in investment decisions by our customers in the second quarter of the year.

Luckily, today these uncertainties seem to be gradually overcome and we are seeing a gradual return to a normal level of discussion with our customers.

The challenge of the coming months will be to be able to guarantee the best level of service and support in the extraordinary conditions of mobility restrictions in which we operate: ACMA has a predominantly international market, with 95% of its customers outside Italy.

On this issue, ACMA and the COESIA group are already working to implement advanced remote support strategies by leveraging digital technologies and being able to count on their international network of regions that sees a widespread presence of technicians all over the world.