Fedrigoni has announced a new Innovation Center where it aims to invest in collaboration, combing research and development, pooling knowledge, alternating point of view, and open innovation processes between companies, universities, start-ups, and end users. With the new center, Fedrigoni seeks to encourage the creation of sustainable solutions that do not yet exist. The 3,000-square-meter Innovation Center, set up next to Fedrigon’s office in Verona, Italy, will be fully operational in the first quarter of 2024. The investment, which will include a share of public funding through NRRP funds, will make it possible to centralize, coordinate, and optimize functions that until now have been fragmented across Italy and Europe.

Marco Nespolo, CEO of the Fedrigoni Group said, “The Innovation Center aims to be the home of innovation for the world of special papers for packaging and creative communication, of labels and premium self-adhesives, a physical venue where to bring together the best talents, inside and outside Fedrigoni, and the most advanced technological solutions to develop specific projects, products and applications that support customers in the environmental transition. Some examples are RFID sensors for smart papers, not just for labels, or durable paper alternatives to plastic, including papers that are tear-resistant, grease-proof, water-resistant and translucent. These papers are made from renewable fiber sources and many of them are made from completely recyclable raw materials. Our customers will be able to participate even more effectively in our creative process, thanks to a dedicated area where they can immerse themselves in the Fedrigoni world, touching the products, experiencing augmented reality, and creating prototypes and customized solutions. This ambitious project will be open to collaboration with our suppliers and strategic partners, with the aim of creating a significant impact on the entire ecosystem in which we operate.”

The Innovation Center will consist of four closely complementary areas, for the practical implementation of innovative concepts.

The first area will be the group’s research, development & innovation team, with laboratories for the analysis of new raw materials, starting with recycled fibers and alternatives to cellulose; state-of-the-art machines for testing and prototyping innovative treatments while minimizing environmental impact; printers for digital printing tests, including the HP Indigo 7K Digital Press printer for which Fedrigoni will be the competence center for Italy in partnership with HP Indigo; and a fully automated sample warehouse, unique in the world, which will collect over 8,000 samples of special papers.

The second area will be dedicated to FedLab, the incubator-accelerator of new ideas to be transformed into highly sustainable products, services, or processes. Italian and foreign universities, research centers, technical centers, and start-ups will be able to work together in co-working spaces.

The customer experience center is the third area, where through the display of both real and virtual products, Fedrigoni will offer different interactive and immersive experiences for many different types of visitors. These visitors not only include brands, investors, graphic designers, printers, and converters, but also institutions, graphics and communication students, and school groups on educational trips. All will be able to design and configure a customized product in real time. Through a crowdsourcing system, those who wish to can contribute their own ideas and insights to the development of new solutions.

The fourth area will host the customer academy, a learning and training center for the entire Fedrigoni community, including colleagues, customers, partners, and university students. The academy aims to be a point of reference for the entire world of special papers and self-adhesive materials; a place to participate in events, share skills and expertise, and intensify collaboration for sustainable growth.

To learn more, visit www.fedrigoni.com.