Valiani, the CEO says: here are the origins, the plotters and the strengths of our company
Nico Valiani
CEO at Valiani
PrintPub.Net and Rassegna Grafica editorial staff interviewed Nico Valiani. Our CEO told the magazine the story of the company, has made known the values that underlie our success and made known the best features of our cutting machines.
Below is the full interview, which you can find, published in no. 9/2020 of Rassegna Grafica. You can also find a preview on the PrintPub.Net website.
Read it to know everything about Valiani!
Valiani, the quality of the cut is made in Italy
For over 45 years Valiani has been designing and manufacturing cutting machines, completely made in Italy solutions adopted by the most prestigious brands in the world, museums, fashion houses and large corporations.
The company started its business 46 years ago with pass-partout cutting machines for paintings. Since 2008 Valiani cutting plotters have fully entered the graphics and packaging sector for any prototyping and small and medium production needs.
Nico Valiani, CEO of Valiani, talks about the path that led the Tuscan company to enter the fields of visual communication and box making, but also about the strengths that distinguish its solutions on the market.
From its origins to today, what was the company’s path and how did it enter the printing and packaging markets?
Valiani was founded in 1974 in Certaldo, near Florence, with the production of cutting machines dedicated to passe-partout for paintings. Today our machines are installed in museums all over the world: the Louvre and the Orsay Museum in Paris, the MoMA in San Francisco, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the New York Public Library and many others. In 2008, when the financial crisis hit the art sector hard, we looked for new markets, making our solutions also suitable for the production of boxes (a type of application that museums already performed with our cutting systems), cutting and the contour of printed materials. Over time, we have therefore developed three Business Units: one for products for the framing sector, the second for the print & packaging and visual communication market and, finally, the last dedicated to the world of clothing and footwear with cutting of patterns. We export our cutting machines to over 80 countries, where we have carried out more than 4,500 installations, thanks to a capillary sales network and a highly qualified assistance service.
Countries all over the world
installations
What is the value of “made in Italy” in the market?
Our cutting machines are the result of made in Italy engineering: they are produced entirely in our factories and using only Italian mechanics. We are so confident in the value and reliability of our products that we offer a 5 year warranty. Integrity, passion, reliability are the values that guide our company and that have gradually led us to become a reference point for the market. With the functionality and equipment suitable for the packaging and printing industry, such as camera control devices or detection systems, today our plotters are highly appreciated and considered ideal for both prototyping and small and medium runs.
On which pillars is your productive activity based?
Our plotters were born from an entirely Italian project with the aim of competing in a segment where low-cost imported Asian machines, until now, seemed to have no alternative. Valiani has been producing for 5 years with the Lean method (Toyota), which has led us to minimize the defects of the components and of the machine in its entirety; this is also why we can afford to offer a 5-year guarantee on all components. Furthermore, all our machines are CE certified. We have always wanted to compete on the market in a transparent and correct manner and this is only possible by working together with other Italian companies. Made in Italy can compete globally only as a team and this is a wish, particularly in a historical moment like the present one. We believe that customers should consider product life span, operating costs and downtime when purchasing. Last but not least, quick and punctual assistance on spare parts that only the Italian manufacturer can guarantee.
What is your customer approach?
We act as a partner to support our business growth towards our customers. Our approach is completely customer oriented. We retain our customers, so that they can obtain the maximum efficiency that our technologies guarantee: we work every day to ensure them the best balance between productivity, performance and price. The Customer Experience Center is a place designed specifically to assist customers in their needs and training, to present our latest products and, above all, to create a link between customers and our company
What are the advantages of your solutions?
First of all the versatility, which allows different application opportunities in products and materials; secondly, a very high quality-price ratio and, last but not least, a machine life guarantee of up to over 10-15 years. Our cutting solutions are recognized for high-level production standards with very low defect rates.Customers greatly appreciate our after-sales service which has always guaranteed remote control of the machines.
Valiani plotters are designed to meet different needs. What are the most popular models?
The Optima 160, in the 123x162cm format, is currently the best-selling system. Cutting and creasing are inserted in the same module and the oscillating head can be inserted for thicknesses up to 2 cm. It is a cutting machine designed to manage and contour surfaces up to 160×305 cm in size that requires the intervention of an operator to load the material. It is perfect for die-cutting work on cardboard, corrugated cardboard, for packaging and POP displays and, thanks to its solid structure, is able to effectively process even heavy materials and more rigid supports such as Foamboard, foamed or Forex.
The Mat Pro Ultra V is instead a machine with a single interchangeable head, you can change the tool in 7-10 seconds; it is ideal for prototypes and small runs. Thanks to the numerous customization possibilities and the wide range of tools, it is used for various applications obtaining maximum precision and quality with low investment costs.
Finally, the main novelty is the automated “Omnia” cutting machine, designed to crease and contour surfaces with dimensions of 60×80 cm. It is an automatic loading die-cutting system, which aims to satisfy the need for uninterrupted productivity, without the constant presence of the operator and without the worry of errors, blocks or waste. It is able to cut different types of material, always maintaining a high quality level, it is performing and absolutely reliable in the production of small and medium runs. Omnia performs cutting, half-cutting and creasing operations on a wide range of materials, has a camera for the recognition of print marks and QR code, a loader that guarantees an autonomy of about 600 sheets. Vacuum table and cutting capacity with oscillating head up to 12 mm, all with a cutting speed of over 1000 mm / sec
How important is research and development for your company?
The technological heart of the company is the Valiani Lab, where the products of the future are born and developed. Within this department, our engineers work every day to meet the needs of customers and prospects with our products. Valiani Lab is not only an internal department where we improve our products, but also a laboratory open to the outside to generate new ideas. And 2021 will be a year of great news for us, which we look forward to presenting to the market with enthusiasm.
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