It has been technological innovation in conjunction with Italian style that has enabled Giflor to win over the international packaging community during the past 50 years. As the Vincenza-based closures company celebrates half a century of success, Nadia Copovilla, CEO, reflects on how Giflor has become one of the most important global references in the industry.
How was the name Giflor chosen?
It was the entrepreneurial intuition of Giuseppe Fracasso that founded Giflor back in 1973. He chose the name Giflor as an amalgamation of his own name, along with that of his wife, Flora. Through the support of his wife, the company was established with particularly strong values of aesthetics, customer service and innovation. Those values remain unchanged and are now the driving force behind Giflor.
Both innovation and aesthetics are key in Italian culture. Marco Polo, Dante, Cristoforo Colombo (Christopher Colombus), Galileo and Leonardo da Vinci are considered to be some of the world's greatest pioneers who left a significant mark on the world, and they are all Italian. In conjunction with our passion for the Arts, music and fashion, Italy is, and always has been, a melting pot of creativity.
Fabio & Mattia Fracasso
Italian passion for detail, high quality and well-crafted wares is known around the world, and at Giflor we express this passion through our work, always working to improve upon our products and offer the best-quality closure offering on the market. Although the business is now in the hands of Giuseppe and Flora's sons, Fabio and Mattia, we continue to grow through creative development with the same values supporting our work as when Giflor began.
How has Giflor grown during the past 50 years?
The 2 most important areas of our growth during the past 5 decades have been our technology and our financial expansion. Giflor now has a team of 60 employees and a production area that spans 10,000m2. We have 31 electric, hybrid and hydraulic injection and bi-injection moulding machines, and a turnover of €16.2m of which 70% was generated in the foreign market.
We are still based in Vicenza, but our injection-molded plastic closures are now available in over 50 countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Last year, our closure division manufactured 240 million plastic caps which are used for beauty and cosmetic products, para-pharmaceutical and OTC healthcare lines, and even pet care products.
What is Giflor's 'secret' to global success?
There is no secret to Giflor's success. We have always worked hard to ensure that our products are the best, delivering not only reliable well-functioning product lines but also aesthetically pleasing closures that are relevant to the market.
Giflor lab
Research and development never stop at Gifor and our Giflor Lab team is always looking forward and trying out new ideas so that our company's offering is at the cutting edge.
Again, this comes back to our corporate values, striving to innovate and offer top-quality products that serve their purpose throughout their entire lifecycle.
What have been the most recent innovations introduced by Giflor?
Giflor's closures are divided into 4 categories: The Classic line, Just Colors, the Eco Low Profile caps and the E-closure line. Of these, the Eco-Low Profile and E-closure lines are the 2 most recent innovations.
The Eco Low Profile (ELP) caps are Giflor's unique, patented line of closures that are lighter weight and require less plastic in their manufacture. The key to the success of this line has been that it offers the same excellent quality for which Giflor is known, without any compromise. Our product designers recognized a need for products that required less resources for their manufacture and this line fulfils that space in the market. Whilst these recycle-ready caps may be smaller in size, their impact on the market has been immense. Not only do we now develop closures for bottles, but we also manufacture special ELP closures for tubes as well as closures manufactured from post-consumer recycled plastic material.
Giflor's E-closures line also fulfils an important space in the market; for packaging that meets the requirements of e-commerce. In addition to being impact resistant and maintaining their integrity throughout their life cycle, Giflor's E-closures ensure no leakage under extreme conditions, providing significant assurance to both brands sending products and consumers receiving those products. E-commerce sales are projected to continue their rapid growth during the next few years, so this is a massive market of which Giflor is part.
What is next for Giflor?
During the next 5 years, we want to reach €25m in turnover and further expand our presence in international markets. We will continue to invest in research and development through Giflor Lab to ensure that our products meet the newest requirements of the market in addition to highlighting the quality of our lines by achieving the world's top certifications and awards in packaging. Our values of aesthetics, customer service and innovation will be at the heart of our next generation of closure products as we continue to set industry closure trends that are "Made in Italy".
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