Roto Cart is one of those small but successful Italian family companies that form the backbone of the country’s economy while remaining largely unknown on the world stage. Independent, technically advanced, strong on design and with heavy emphasis on personal relations and a fast response to customer needs, it offers an alternative to the big players at the premium end of the market.

Nothing better illustrates this than the flagship Sensitive brand, which represents 40% of Roto Cart’s sales. It was the first three-ply product on the Italian market when it was introduced as toilet tissue in 1997, according to company owner and president Giuliano Gelain. It was also the first brand in Italy to offer a 105 mm sheet width instead of the standard 92-98 mm. “Consumers liked the abundance,” according to Gelain, and the product was an immediate hit.

Sensitive also distinguishes itself by the composition of the three-ply sheet. The two external plies are soft and delicate, almost like facial tissue, while the core ply is included for toughness and strength. The brand is available only in a small selection of retail outlets in the northern half of Italy and in certain export markets. Made 100% from virgin pulp, it is also available as towel – again high quality and in above average size.

The original Sensitive is the Classic range, which is pure white. More recently, a more exclusive – and more expensive - Premium line has been introduced, featuring coloured patterns. Gelain admits the new product has not been a huge hit in Italy, where consumers tend to prefer white. On the other hand, he says, it has proved very popular in Eastern Europe.

Link B135 is the automatic multi-format bundler which produces bags containing toilet and kitchen roll packs wrapped in polyethylene films. The new solutions applied allow the bags to be produced in continuous motion to guarantee a high product quality at up to 30 bags/min with a minimum film overlap.

The production range is large and complete: every kind of bag containing packs of rolls, horizontally and vertically positioned, single-packed rolls as well as unwrapped single rolls can be handled. Link B135 was designed to be perfectly integrated in packaging lines, answering the most diverse layout needs. In fact, various machine configurations are available to allow an optimization of the line footprint. In the case of Roto Cart, the layout was a challenge. The two lines had to be fitted into a restricted space requiring great design flexibility. Despite the cramped location, though, the lines were working well just weeks after start-up.

Nova 250 is the automatic roll wrapper which, according to DP, “redefines the limits of the sector”. It comes as a multi-format machine for toilet and kitchen roll packs in single or double layer wrapped in polyethylene films.

The machine can handle a complete range of pack configurations with roll diameter up to 180 mm. “We took just a few days to make high-quality saleable rolls,” DP managing director Diego Lignana told Tissue World. “Soon after start-up we made five changes of quality in a 12-hour period, with excellent results.” He sees Roto Cart, with its adventurous approach and flair for innovation, as a “small highquality laboratory” for DP. “We offered a solution that they accepted. The result was a quick start-up and operator response has been very positive.”

Roto Cart’s aim is to continue building on its success by achieving greater penetration into the major supermarket chains. In recent years it has managed double-digit growth – 18% last year, 10% for the first half of 2009 despite the downturn. Now, despite existing overcapacity in his operations, Gelain has big plans for expansion, including a doubling of capacity at Monfalcone.

“The market is difficult right now,” he says. “But we feel there is a positive outlook in the next five years. No specific forecasts, but growth is part of our history and will continue to be part of our plans.”