With the acquisition of Defranceschi, a long-standing Italian manufacturer of grape processing machines and plants, the Sacmi Group has expanded and reinforced its role as all-round plant engineering provider to the wine sector, thus laying the foundations for the new Sacmi Wine&Spirits Division. To share goals, strategies and the Division’s market ambitions – and, together, present the “new” Defranceschi product range, know-how and its projects – will, then, be the goal of a special Open Day being held at Sacmi next Wednesday, 16th November, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (via Selice Provinciale 17 / A, Imola).
The acquisition of Defranceschi has, in fact, given the Sacmi Group a broad range of technological solutions (not to mention a name that is already widely recognized and appreciated on international markets) for grape processing and wine-making; these include grape presses, de-stalkers, autoclaves, storage tanks and various other items of enology equipment. This goes hand in hand with the Group's already strong positioning in the wine sector, where major Italian wine players employ latest-generation Sacmi techniques and robotized solutions, automated systems that ensure more efficient, rational winery management.
More generally, this latest operation extends and makes the very best of the unique beverage technology developed by Sacmi over its more than five decades of business in the industry: "Sacmi”, points out Vezio Bernardi, General Manager of Sacmi Beverage, “is not just the world leader in crown caps. Extensive experience gained in the development of other cap types (aluminium, plastic) and the design of complete water and CSD bottling plants (PET bottles) plus, more specifically, constant research and development of both soft drink and glass-bottled beer filling solutions, have allowed the Group to develop competitive machines that are easily adapted to the wine world".
After entering the food sector several years ago with the takeover of C&M Holding (chocolate processing and packaging), Sacmi has since gone on to build up an Automation Division, successfully designing and producing complete optical systems for quality control on both processing lines and outdoors (Near Infra-Red systems for non-destructive, in-the-field inspection of fruit, vegetables etc.), "solutions”, adds Bernardi, “of enormous potential to this industry that we can now make the best of as a function of the Division’s new goals”.
The aim of this special Open Day, then, is to illustrate the strategies and goals of Sacmi Wine&Spirits - which, in addition to Defranceschi, brings all of Sacmi wine-making solutions (filling, labelling, packaging and end-of-line systems, etc.) under one roof. The day will end with the presentation of the new team and the renowned Defranceschi product range, which spans from grape presses to sorting machines, from superbly designed storage tanks to winery architecture and bottling line solutions. Solutions - such as the new generation of JP membrane presses and the innovative ‘designer tanks’ created by Defranceschi Engineering – that recently played a starring role at the prestigious Vinitech-Sifel fair in Bordeaux.
"With Defranceschi now a part of the Sacmi W&S Division, the path towards a whole new way of thinking about technology for the wine-making industry is open; what’s more, this is an industry that continues to be very dynamic, especially on international markets”, notes Vezio Bernardi who, at the end of the day, will take participants on a guided tour of the Sacmi plant and exhibition area. “Via this strategic takeover and the creation of a specific Division, the Sacmi Group’s goal is to become an all-round provider of solutions for every single stage of the production process, from vineyard to bottle, from packaging to logistics”, he explains. A far-sighted decision that will, in future, allow us to offer the market true "turnkey" wineries, places of production that combine tradition with technology but also, and above all, "experiential places where the customer comes into contact with a wine-making philosophy, from the line design to the complex sensory experience that accompanies grape growing, processing and fermentation".