Valiani on Technofashion:
among history and solutions
for the fashion industry
In this fascinating article published on Technofashion, an Italian Magazine, – April 2024,
we retrace the 50-year history of Valiani, with an intriguing focus on our company’s relationship with the world of fashion,
from the present to future prospects.
Half a century of experience
This year, Valiani celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. The Italian manufacturing company, specialized in cutting plotters for paper, cardboard, and cardstock of any thickness and weight, is a well-established entity across various sectors and is experiencing steady growth in the Clothing-Fashion sector.
Proud to be 100% Made in Italy, and of the high quality and reliability of its products, Valiani’s primary goal is to offer products capable of meeting every customer need. Indeed, thanks to the countless customization possibilities using special tools, it can provide versatile and durable cutting systems.
Since its foundation in 1974, the Tuscan company has become a cornerstone in the cutting plotter sector: today, it is led by Managing Director Nico Valiani (the founder Franco’s son) and can rely on the valuable support of the new Belgian ownership Summa, which acquired the company’s shares in June 2022.
What has been Valiani’s development journey?
Over time, the company has expanded its international presence, exporting products to over 90 countries worldwide, and has achieved more than 5,000 installations of cutting plotters. Overall, Valiani has seen significant growth over its 50 years of operation, transitioning from a local entity to an internationally recognized one. This is further evidenced by its constant presence at industry fairs in every corner of the globe, from Asia to Africa, Oceania to the Americas. Notably, this year, in April, Valiani will attend the Texprocess fair in Frankfurt with its own booth in collaboration with Summa.
How has the company changed over time?
Valiani, an Italian brand, has long been associated with the world of framing and museum conservation, especially known globally for its mat cutting. Over the years, innovation and development have been the driving forces, initially shifting the company’s focus to the Packaging and Visual Communication Industry and then also to the Apparel market, where it is achieving excellent results both nationally and internationally. This sectoral diversification has contributed to Valiani’s growth, allowing it to reach a broader customer base and exploit new business opportunities.
What are the future goals?
There’s a clear intention to continue improving products and services in the Fashion and Footwear sector, offering increasingly high-performance and comprehensive solutions for the creation of cutting rooms. Valiani aims to consolidate its presence in this sector, affirming itself as a reliable and reference partner for its clients. This could involve developing new technologies and features for cutting machines, enhancing automation, and the efficiency of production processes. Furthermore, the focus will be on researching and developing specific hardware and software products for the Apparel sector to provide tailored solutions. To achieve this, we are aware of the need to increase our global presence, seeking to enter new markets and expand the distribution network to reach a larger number of international customers.
Valiani Invicta AP
Valiani Invicta
Due to the continuous evolution of its Research & Development department, Valiani has significantly enhanced the performance of the accessory used for marking on patterns, known as pen plotting. The writing phase always precedes the cutting phase and requires high precision to engrave tiny notches, numbers, and letters. The performance improvement now allows for smoother movement and a substantial increase in speed for both vertical and horizontal movements. Valiani’s pen, which requires ballpoint refills, ensures all of this, combining an extremely fast and high/low blade movement that can be measured in fractions of a second.The Invicta AP, a flatbed cutting plotter designed entirely by Valiani, stands as an exceptional solution in the Apparel Industry for cutting cardboard, both rigid and fibrous, thereby facilitating the pen drawing of patterns. Equipped with a zoned vacuum bed and a pneumatic clamp, Invicta can perform cuts on any type of cardstock up to 20 mm in thickness. Its high precision, structural robustness, and excellent value for money make it ideal for marking and cutting patterns.
SOLUTION FOR THE PATTERN ROOM AND SMALL PRODUCTIONS
Valiani’s technology offers cutting solutions that are specific and can be integrated with the main CAD systems on the market, providing pattern makers with a single tool that allows them to cut, in addition to patterns, also leather, fabric, or any material for creating prototypes, samples, custom garments, and small series. This significantly reduces the time and costs of prototyping and subsequent production.
INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE
The major innovation of Invicta comes from the enhancement of the software, which – among various features – provides a cutting simulation preview and an automatic placement with a drag-and-drop system.
CUTTING AND WRITING IN A SINGLE SOLUTION
Thanks to the continuous evolution of its Research & Development department, Valiani has significantly improved the performance of the accessory used for marking on the pattern: the so-called pen plotting. The writing phase before cutting requires high precision to engrave notches, numbers, and letters of very small sizes. Improving the performance of the pen, which requires ballpoint refills, now allows for a smoother high/low blade movement and an increase in movement speed, as well as ascent and descent times measurable in fractions of a second.
NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES
Like all Valiani machinery, Invicta – in addition to being covered by a 5-year warranty – is characterized by high energy savings, low noise levels, compactness, and truly low operating costs. The company’s Made in Italy technologies are reliable, sturdy, and customizable with a wide range of tools, thus ensuring great versatility in processing various materials, shapes, and thicknesses up to 5 mm or 20 mm with an oscillating head.
Going into detail, what is your specialization?
Valiani technology focuses on cutting the most rigid materials, including all types of cardboard and cardstock of any thickness and weight: a process that underpins every activity in the framing, packaging, and textile sectors. More specifically, the decision to establish a new Fashion division stems from Valiani’s global excellence in blade cutting, which is crucial for every textile production industry that always requires a pattern as the starting point for its garments. Thanks to its many years of experience in mat cutting and packaging, Valiani has gained such confidence that it can offer effective cutting solutions at an extremely competitive price, accessible not only to large groups but also to manufacturing companies that seek safety, precision, and reduced production times.
How are you advancing in the Fashion sector?
Currently, Fashion only represents a small niche for Valiani compared to the well-established Framing and Packaging sectors. However, the growth in this segment over recent years testifies to a commitment to various customers worldwide: customers that Valiani aims to fully satisfy, from price to performance and guaranteed productivity.
How important is it for you to be 100% Made in Italy?
It’s a point of pride, as it allows for the promotion and enhancement of Italian industrial and artisanal heritage, as well as the skills and creativity of those who work in it. Born in the heart of Tuscany, in Certaldo (province of Florence), Valiani is committed to maintaining Italian quality standards at every production stage: Valiani means Italy, and Italy means Fashion and Clothing. Made in Italy is a guarantee of quality, oversight, and readiness in supply, all characteristics that fully reflect our modus operandi.
Nico Valiani, Managing Director
So, you’re able to provide a complete service?
Exactly, with top-notch technical support. Each element of the product is carefully thought out, designed, and tested by the company itself; every single component of the machinery is assembled in Italy, and our clients can rely on us 100% at any time. This contributes to ensuring the utmost reliability of the products, which are recognized worldwide for their craftsmanship and attention to detail.
What kind of relationship do you have with your suppliers?
It’s based on trust and long-term collaboration. We prefer to work with suppliers who have proven to be reliable and offer high-quality products, carefully evaluating their expertise and ability to meet our needs. Customer orientation is Valiani’s creed, always seeking total openness to clients’ desires; similarly, our suppliers meet the demands of the Tuscan company, aiming to satisfy a customer and assist them in their daily activities, bringing innovation and profit.
Who is your target customer base?
It’s quite broad, from small businesses to large corporations: depending on the target market, Valiani has one or more products that meet various needs. On one hand, there’s the small production, with companies that need a precise, reliable, and robust cutting system for creating small series, prototypes, and samples. On the other hand, giants and multinationals have incorporated a Valiani cutting plotter capable of automatically die-cutting paper, cardboard, and cardstock of any weight.
Valiani Team
