“There is synergy in numbers,” is how Mauro Drappo, CEO of Italian Amut group, commented on the merger on 9 February that now has Dolci Bielloni operating with the new company name Amut Dolci Bielloni. “Now two historical companies, Amut and Dolci Bielloni can create significant synergies together and become a major player on international markets,” added Drappo.

“We believe that this merger represents the completion of a process we began in 2011 with the entrance of Fondo Italiano di Investimento (an investment fund) into our shareholder structure to allow Amut to grow through external mergers and gain a more important stature. This process then continued with the Amut-Comi merger in the field of thermoforming, and Amut-Ecotech in recycling.”

With its group of companies, at the PlastMilan show (Milan, 5-9 May 2015), Novara-headquartered Amut says it will be present with a major island booth, both in terms of dimensions (800 sq m) and technologies on display. It will display complete production lines, from flexible film extrusion to the extrusion and moulding of rigid products and thermoforming. It will also organise an open house at the Dolci plant in Biassono (Monza-Brianza), with shuttle bus service to and from the fairgrounds, to demonstrate two stretch film lines in operation.

Riccardo Castello, now general manager of Amut Dolci, goes into greater detail: “The first line, producing seven-layer stretch film 2,000 mm wide, will feature an impressive six extruders to produce wound rolls manually or automatically. The second one, producing 1,500-mm five-layer stretch film, will be dedicated to the production of jumbo rolls. They are two systems representing the top of the line in their respective fields of application.”

He adds that the 2,000-mm film line, in particular, is “absolutely innovative” because it uses what is termed as “unusual” extruders for a seven-layer film line. “In spite of their small dimensions, they are able to deliver high production volumes and excellent energy savings. Furthermore, the plant was designed – using a technology recommended by a major international polymer producer – with the specific goal of obtaining an innovative roll chilling unit for ‘super-power’ stretch films, that is, films with high stretch capacity, over two and a half times greater than standard power stretch films. The main trend in the current stretch film market is to reduce thickness while at the same time increasing the strength of the film.”

The new company will not only produce stretch film plants, but also continue the Bielloni tradition of flexographic printing machines, roller mills, laminators (wet or solventless), slitter-rewinders and under the Dolci Extrusion brand it will continue to develop, build and sell its own stretch lines and also lines for polypropylene, bubble wrap, extrusion coating and lamination. Lastly, with projects heralding interesting developments, it will relaunch what has long been the showcase product line for Dolci, ie lines for agricultural film.