In Medicina there is a company that has rethought tradition, material and product. Since its beginnings in the Seventies, paper has forged the roots of three great brothers, bonded in life and work. Over time, paper has become the material that has given shape to their passion. Giampaolo Colletti interviews Andrea Tullini, owner of Scatolificio Medicinese for FARE INSIEME
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
There are places that smell of passion. Places where paper is not just paper. It is the breath of the territory, it is a form that embraces, it is a container that becomes content and therefore meaning. A certain way of doing business and doing it together. In Medicina, in the heart of the Emilia that innovates, Scatolificio Medicinese produces much more than packaging: it builds relationships, protects stories, and preserves a kind and identifying idea of business. True value goes beyond production: it is in the deep sense of belonging to a community. It is a plural story. Because in Italy there are four hundred and fifty box factories that are not just competitors, but allies in that broad field that is doing business. Of course, you have to be distinctive, unique. Here the product we are most proud of is a box patented in the last year for the wine sector. It is called Quiky and combines communication with functionality: it talks about the product inside with custom-designed graphics and optimises the space and time of packaging. And then it is assembled in just ten seconds! A product that has allowed the company to leave the local market and go abroad, comparing itself with the entire world. And so you understand that they are not just boxes. There is much more. We are in Medicina, a town of fifteen thousand souls in the province of Bologna. It is a company of 52 people that works mainly in the Italian market and has about 750 active customers. The turnover is around 13 million euros with a gradual and sustainable growth.
Company history. But let's proceed in an orderly fashion. It all started in 1974 as a small artisan workshop, becoming over time a point of reference for corrugated cardboard packaging. Strong roots, but with a long-term vision. Medicinese has gone through half a century of transformations: from the first die-cutting machines, up to high-tech production lines capable of printing up to 6 colours in high definition. But always with a precise idea: to grow while remaining rooted. It all started from the will of three brothers: Gaetano, Ezio and Maurizio. The first two were employees in an important paper mill in the Bologna area. But then, you know, one thing leads to another. So one day they thought of creating their own company. And it happened that they actually succeeded. They started from the simple collection of paper to take to the paper mills to make more cardboard and create new boxes. Well, even then the sector could be defined as virtuous, with a continuous cycle, from used cardboard more cardboard was generated to make other boxes. «My debut in this company was during the summer work days. It was 2002 when I first set foot in the company as a worker and the best memory was when I managed to make my first box, with my own hands, a ruler, pencil and cutter in hand... Well, I have to say that it was a great moment. The worstday in the company was obviously when our father passed away. My sister Cristina and I, in our pain, still managed to raise our hearts and have the strength to push us to continue and improve what our predecessors had created before. We can now shake hands with each other for what we have achieved so far.» This is what Andrea Tullini, owner of Scatolificio Medicinese together with his sister Cristina, says. A moving story. And then you understand that it is not just a business. It is giving meaning to things.
Company profile. Today the company offers customised packaging solutions in corrugated cardboard, which are tailor-made to meet specific needs for protection, transport and enhancement of the product. «We follow the entire process: from initial consultancy to design, from prototyping to production, up to printing and delivery. Our customers are mainly companies in the food & beverage, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food producer sectors. We work with both small artisan businesses and large brands, adapting flexibly to every type of request», says Tullini. You can do anything with cardboard, and in the company they know it well. «We have a technical and graphics office that studies and dresses every type of product every day, from an ice lolly to a mechanical gear, from a bottle of wine to a bag of biscuits. The typologies are endless», says Tullini. Balance matters: between aesthetics and functionality, between innovation and sustainability. Effective packaging protects, communicates and simplifies. «For us, dialogue with the customer also matters: listening, interpreting and transforming a need into a concrete project. Every box tells a story, and we make sure it's the right one.»
Company and community. The factory is a human place. Two generations work there. Skills are passed down, evolve, and intertwine every day. Medicinese is also this: a company that breathes with the people. People and community. After all, the place is in the name. For us, doing business means being part of the territory, enriching and respecting it, and contributing to the well-being of all the people involved. The packaging, the box that communicates values and identity, becomes a dress to wear. But behind the form there is the substance. The company has invested in green technologies and FSC certified cardboard, with production lines at low environmental impact. Because sustainability is not a trend, but a responsibility that starts with materials and reaches relationships. Roots, tradition, matter and product. Since the time of the brothers Gaetano, Ezio and Maurizio, paper, and the sense of work, have forged the roots of these three great men. Over time, paper has become the material that has given shape to their passion. And that looks to the future.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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