5,000 people gather for Sacmi’s 105th anniversary celebrations

Sacmi opened its doors on 30 November to celebrate its 105th anniversary and strengthen its ties with the local community.

On Saturday 30 November, almost 5,000 people gathered to mark Sacmi Imola’s 105th anniversary, an event described by chairman Paolo Mongardi as “a wonderful opportunity for sharing and celebrating”. For the occasion, the company opened its doors to the community with which it has long maintained close connections, offering visitors the chance to find out more about the world of Sacmi, from production processes through to advanced research.

The event was a big success thanks to close teamwork and the active participation of the entire workforce and provided an invaluable opportunity for Sacmi employees and their families to get together and socialise with members of the local community.

Guided tours of the factory

A well-attended 13-stop tour of the factory gave participants the opportunity to find out more about Sacmi’s various areas of operation. Highlights included the Rigid Packaging Lab, where innovative, low-environmental-impact solutions such as cellulose fibre caps are being developed, and the assembly and testing department for the industrial presses used to manufacture everyday items such as tiles and metal components. Visitors also had the chance to tour the machine tool department, a 5,000-square-metre hub of advanced technology, and discover the critical importance of micrometric precision in the production of metal parts such as cap press moulds. The tour also covered artificial intelligence and the evolution of Quality Control systems, which simplify operators’ work and ensure repeatable, high-quality production.

Another key stop on the tour was the Ceramic Lab, where visitors had the chance to discover innovative applications of ceramics. These include large decorated slabs that can be transformed by Sacmi’s Continua+ technology into high-value products such as kitchen tops and tables, as well as the latest super-thin, sustainable and easy-to-install tiles designed for groundbreaking applications in the furniture sector. The tour of the Whiteware Lab showcased anthropomorphic robots used to produce all types of sanitaryware items in fully automated, unmanned cells. These systems perform automatic finishing and achieve near-complete recovery of water used in the production process.

A child’s eye view of the factory

The programme included numerous activities for families. In a dedicated area, younger children were able to explore the challenges of sustainability, robotics and artificial intelligence in a fun, hands-on way through activities such as clay-working and participation in scientific experiments. Older children had the opportunity to expand their knowledge by observing the machines in operation.

From an artisanal workshop to a large industrial company

The celebrations were concluded by the presentation of a book entitled “Sacmi: from workshop to worldwide success. Origins of an extraordinary cooperative experience” on Monday 2 December, the anniversary of the company’s foundation.

In the packed-out Auditorium 1919, talks were given by the book’s author Valter Galavotti and former and current Sacmi employees Leo Monduzzi and Cecilia Palmieri. The event was concluded by remarks from Simone Gamberini, President of Legacoop Nazionale. Institutional figures also attended, including Acting President of the Emilia-Romagna regional government Irene Priolo and the Mayor of Imola Marco Panieri.

“We are extremely proud to present this unique account of Sacmi’s origins and its transformation from a small artisanal workshop into an enormous industrial organisation, all while preserving strong ties to its roots and local community,” remarked Mongardi. “The book not only recounts our history but also highlights our values and principles as a cooperative, with a clear focus on the future and the generations to come.”