Tecom: sixty years of blown film extrusion

Specialised in the construction of blown film extrusion lines, Tecom, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023, supplies lines for the mono- and co-extrusion of three and five layers in all types of polyolefin-based materials, biodegradable polymers and post-industrial and post-consumer recycled materials. Always open to new solutions and always attentive to the dynamics of the market, Tecom entered the field of biodegradable materials in the 1990s, acquiring the experience that today allows it to develop technological solutions for the extrusion of blown films in both biodegradable and regenerated materials, in addition to the "classic" polyethylene for packaging. Over the last decade, Tecom has stepped up its efforts to produce equipment with a low environmental impact and high technological value, and in 2019 a new synergy was created in the field of extrusion: Tecom joins the Union universe, expanding the Group's portfolio, which is now able to offer solutions for the production of films, sheets and boards (in this case both rigid and expanded) for various applications in the packaging and related segments.

Andrea Colombo, the new CEO, Massimo Gazzi, now a member of the Board of Directors, who has led the company through twenty years of continuous growth and constant innovation, and Alberto Colnago, Head of Sales, talk about the company. Three protagonists in the life of the company who, from different perspectives, offer an overview of the technology in terms of sustainability, developments and the market in the coming months.

Sustainability between production and quality labels
"At Plast, we focus a lot on the circular economy and recycling," begins Massimo Gazzi, "we have the possibility of using 100% recycled materials, which allows us to guarantee a quality end product, while being aware of the difficulties of maintaining high standards. Recycled material never comes from the same source, so its characteristics vary greatly, which is not the case with virgin polymers. Wash or post-industrial recyclate is also a mixture of different materials, which presents processing difficulties. The variety of materials available does not prevent us from guaranteeing excellent production in kg/hour and quality of the final product".

Tecom's production is already inherently sustainable due to its strong involvement in the recycling industry, an issue on which the company has much to say.

"With the Industry 4.0 package, we track production," confirms Alberto Colnago, "we allow the company to constantly monitor energy consumption and optimise the production process. We are also focusing on the circular economy, a subject in which we have invested heavily in research and development, ensuring that our extrusion process includes both virgin, organic and recycled materials. We would like to highlight the ability of our machines to extrude both organic, recycled and traditional materials. Furthermore, as a confirmation of our green evolution, with the development of the first lines for eco-sustainable polymers in the early 1990s, Tecom also wanted to register its own brand that would make the desire to pursue this objective unmistakable: Go-Bio is a brand that has been present on all our extruders for almost twenty years.

Innovations at the show
Highly topical themes that will be fully expressed at the show through the presentation of major innovations to exhibitors and visitors.

"At the heart of our presence at Plast," explains Andrea Colombo, "is the celebration of our first 60 years in business, as well as the emphasis on the circular economy and the green soul of Tecom and Union. We are also planning an open day with a co-extrusion line in operation and configured for recycling; thanks to the flexibility of our equipment, we also want to demonstrate productivity with bio-materials. The exhibition is an important moment and perfectly in line with Tecom's approach, characterised by constant attention to the customer, who has always been placed at the centre of all technical, production and process thinking. In fact, the customer uses the machine much more than we do and can raise important issues for both the technical department and research and development. A dialogue that allows us to optimise our production, characterised by flexible, energy-efficient machines capable of processing different materials and with a high level of reliability. The know-how acquired over the last 20 years in the extrusion of sustainable materials has made us one of the world leaders in the production of extrusion lines for biodegradable/compostable and recycled materials. This dialogue allows us to optimise our production, which is characterised by flexible, energy-efficient machines capable of processing different materials and with a high level of reliability. The know-how acquired over the last 20 years in the extrusion of sustainable materials has enabled us to become one of the world leaders in the production of extrusion lines for biodegradable/compostable and recycled materials.