Print finishing is a process that has its origins in the world of art and craftsmanship. In its more than 40-year history, Arsea has been able to combine the spirit of the craftsman, imprinted by its founder Stefano Perlato, with that of a technological company, equipped with machinery for productions that meet the needs of Industry 4.0 processes.
Today, this same spirit is shared by Elisa Perlato, who is at the helm of the company. Specialising in third-party service, Arsea has a customer base that work both for the domestic market and for major international brands. This was one of the reasons that the jury of the Oscar della Stampa – an event promoted by Stratego Group with the support of Argi, Assografici, ENIP GCT and Fespa Italia – chose to award Arsea in the ‘Best Finishing and Special Substrates’ category.
“It was a great satisfaction to see our 40-year journey recognised by such a prestigious and qualified jury,” says Elisa Perlato, Managing Director. “In our own small way, we never thought of participating in awards like this or communicating who we are and what we do. We were almost convinced that as subcontractors, we were not very interesting and attractive. We had the wrong perception however, because nowadays those who turn to a business like ours seek the consultancy aspect, the competence and the know-how.”
Attention to the Detail
The Veronese company, not inclined to be in the limelight, was a little surprised but also happy about this important recognition. It confirms that the company has taken the right track since 1981, the year in which Stefano Perlato founded Arsea by starting production in a small home space. The first machine to be installed was a solvent screen-printing machine for customised car accessories.
Today, Arsea employs 25 people and offers lamination, varnishing services and hot foil stamping machines. Arsea’s core market is made up of 40% publishing and another 40% of packaging and paper-converting sector. The remaining 20% consist of various sectors; since they can use screen-printing on all substrates, its application possibilities become numerous and diverse.
Technological Breakthrough
For a subcontractor, technology is fundamental. To be able to offer the best to the market, investment is a very important strategic choice.
“We needed to ensure productivity and quality, since our customers in the publishing, packaging and box industries were increasing their production. At the beginning, we hadn’t considered BOBST, mostly because we were convinced that their machines were inaccessible to us. We carried out tests of varying complexity on various machines without getting the results we hoped for,” Elisa Perlato said.
“We were satisfied with the tests we carried out at Bobst and in September 2021, what we thought would remain a dream became reality. Our VISIONFOIL 104 is an exceptional machine, equipped with an automatic sheet feeder and four advance shafts. The machine guarantees a productivity and quality that we could not offer before. Our production standard used to be 1,400 sheets/ per hour. With the new Visionfoil, simple jobs can be produced at 6,000 sheets per hour and more complex ones at 4,000 per hour, with 10-11 reels of foil at the same time and perfect, precise register,” she adds.
Intuitive and efficient, the machine can be also equipped with the exclusive REGISTRON® camera for hologram application, which guarantees maximum register precision at high production speeds for unparalleled quality of the finished product. Thanks to the patented external unwind module and independently driven reels, the machine is also extremely versatile and the production possibilities are almost endless.
Depending on customers’ needs, the Visionfoil 104 can also be equipped to switch rapidly from hot stamping to die-cutting. This allows the machine to cover a wide range of applications while ensuring impeccable productivity and quality. From the moment it went into operation at Arsea, the new Visionfoil has never stopped producing, except for scheduled maintenance, allowing the company to penetrate new markets.
“We are at the service of our customers. We have extraordinary know-how, cutting-edge technology and we make ourselves available to satisfy their requests. I must admit that the fact that new customers came to us because of the new Visionfoil clearly showed the investment was the right choice,” concludes Perlato.
