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Eti.Vibra: quality and efficiency, a breakthrough with the OMET iFlex
Flexible, fast and easy to use: the OMET iFLEX 370 installed by Eti.Vibra in 2016 and recently replaced with a new one, has allowed the Italian company to grow in terms of production and, above all, efficiency. The increased production capacity, product quality and customer care allowed the company to stand as a leader in the Southern Italy label market. “An investment that we should have made before” says the owner Vincenzo Brancaccio in this interview.
Mr. Brancaccio, please tell us the story of your company.
Eti.Vibra was born in 1989 by the will of my father Renato, who had worked in the paper industry since the 1950s with a typography in Naples, Dome Street, founded with his brothers: they produced boxes and cartons. I remember that, at the age of 6, after school I went to the typography to print envelopes for the Court of Naples: I enjoyed to move pedals like Italian actor Totò in a famous movie. My work started as a hobby: I have always liked it and for me it’s first of all a matter of passion.
How and when did you open your own company?
After graduating, I studied at the university but I interrupted it after a few years. In 1989 I started my own label factory, mainly supplying the customers of my father’s company.
Do you remember the first labels you produced?
Amarelli, the famous Calabrian liquorice, a long-standing customer of my father’s typography. They were my first labels: the guarantee sticker to close the box and the ingredients label. Then we opened up to various sectors, following my father’s footprints.
Did your company grow much from the beginning?
We are not much bigger today. But we have more equipment and a wider portfolio. We started with two Honda printing lines, then replaced with two semi-rotary machines and in 2016 we introduced the first OMET iFlex. Recently, thanks to the precious collaboration of the esteemed Andrea Campani, OMET sales manager, who took care of the negotiation in detail, we purchased a new iFlex enriched with various options: 8 colors, screen printing unit, sheeting station to print also cardboard, double die-cutting station. All these improvements will allow us to satisfy new market requests.
For which productions do you use the OMET iFlex? How much of the total production does it serve?
At the moment we use it for the 70% of our production. It is very easy to use, I’d say almost “funny”: I also work on it personally. We use the OMET line for all the new productions. We still have the semi-rotary machines but we only use them for repeated jobs. It’s not worth to put them into operation for new jobs, the iFlex is much faster to prepare and to use. Its innovative and advanced printing techniques allows excellent printing results: now we can respond to an increasingly demanding market that requires high quality products with just-in-time deliveries.
So you can deal with larger runs?
Absolutely: if I knew it, I would have bought an OMET before. The features I appreciate the most are the easy set up and the intuitive use. The iFlex is easy to use but highly technological, and it always works well and smoothly. If the machine is well done, it is much easier to work on it. A very talented OMET operator managed the installation, I want to openly thank him: his name is Francesco Ghisleni, he is only 23 years old but he directed a team of about ten people in disassembling the old machine and assembling the new one with admirable precision, seriousness and order.
How did you choose to invest in the OMET brand?
First of all, in my opinion your stand was always the number one at the fairs: I never failed to visit it. I met OMET in the years ‘93-‘94 thanks to your past area manager, who became a friend. Back then, however, we were afraid to invest in a press like OMET’s because we were convinced that its capacity was requiring large volumes. But it isn’t: it is a very flexible press, it can handle short runs of one hundred thousand pieces, or even less, with the maximum effectiveness. Looking back, I regret not having taken it sooner: I would have saved the money invested in the semi-rotary machines and would have gained in efficiency. If in the future I will have to make an investment, I will certainly choose another OMET: I am really satisfied with both its use and its results.
Have you had the opportunity to experience OMET’s customer care?
With the first OMET machine it happened to replace some parts, small things, but we were absolutely satisfied with the assistance. Problems can arise when you use equipment, but the important is to solve them: OMET always gave us fast and competent answers: we are very satisfied.
Was the OMET machine decisive in expanding your portfolio?
Yes, we have expanded our portfolio and thanks to the flexibility of the OMET machine we have managed well the difficult period we are going through for the pandemic. In general, this line has improved our lives: before having it, we always had to run to deliver on time, while now we are much faster and much more precise, thanks to the iFlex. Before, we had to work on Saturdays, now there is no longer this need because the OMET line is easy, speed and produces many different jobs with excellent timing.
Vincenzo Brancaccio with his son Renato Brancaccio.
Did the pandemic affect your business?
It depends a lot on the output sectors. Some of them, such as those related to events and ceremonies (sugared almonds factories, for example, are among our clients) completely stopped and the worse thing is they can’t make predictions for the future. The food and the detergents industries, on the other hand, experienced a significant increase. Among our customers there are also McDonald’s or Autogrill suppliers, who have suffered a severe crisis because of the block of tourism and restaurants. After all, we can say we break even; the crisis is closely linked to the kind of sector.
Do you only sell on the domestic market or also abroad?
We operate only in Italy, mainly in the South regions like Campania and Calabria. We supply various industries, with 3-4 customers for each. We follow them with dedication and precision. Having a few clients doesn’t mean to simplify the job: a winery alone, for example, can have various brands and even 30 kinds of labels. The same thing happens for cosmetics. It is already a considerable volume of work.
In the relationship with the customer, what are you focusing on? Do you offer additional services?
We offer customers a complete service. We want to follow them from the beginning to the end by creating a relationship of trust that lasts over time. Beyond the label, we can also provide graphics; we are not a specialized studio but we create ideas, images, labels that can go directly in production. At 99%, our customers accept the graphic proposal. From the first steps, we dedicate attention to the customer and take care for details; we focus on availability, speed of delivery, product quality and value for money.
