It is one of the most well-known Italian paper converting companies on the market, its packaging production is unquestionably high quality, but what distinguishes Box Marche is its commitment to spread a corporate Culture, where respect, well-being, continuous improvement and attention to the territory are primary values in daily operations. We talk about it with Nicola Dominici, marketing manager of the family business
“Living outside the box” is the motto that accompanies the communication of Box Marche, a motto that finds expression in the numerous social and charitable activities promoted and organized by this company located in Marche region, which for sure is certainly outside the box, and following the will of its president Tonino Dominici, is capable of involving his entire team as only a person passionate and in love with his work and life can do: he places value at the center of business.
Box Marche was founded in 1969 and grew in the first years serving the footwear sector, traditionally very strong in these areas in those years, and Tonino Dominici was already in the company as a jack-of-all-trades. In a few years Dominici made himself known for his great resourcefulness in the various tasks that were gradually assigned to him and in the mid-70s the company offered him shares of the company and from there another story began. Under the guidance of Tonino Dominici, Box Marche abandoned the footwear sector and began to propose itself as a reference supplier for the food & beverage industry, household goods and different industrial sectors that positioned the company as a point of reference for those who need cases and boxes, with important brand owners and many well-known private labels. The service component has become central to Box Marche’s offering, and over the years co-packing projects have been carried out and in this case the company provides a service that goes beyond the box or the display, and this has become a distinctive feature in the company’s evolution process.
Box Marche: Best place to work
71 collaborators work in the company, from the graphic office to pre-press, offset and digital printing, from die-cutting to folding and gluing and finally the warehouse and shipping department, carrying out practically all the processes internally. “The company slogan we prefer is The technology we are most proud of is the one that goes home in the evening, that is, our collaborators”, Nicola tells us. “We invest a lot in our people in training and professional growth initiatives. Fortunately, we have a very low turnover in terms of collaborators even if we do not deny that we struggle to attract new workers to join, as in most companies nowadays. However, this is a stimulus for us: we must continue to improve so that Box Marche is not perceived as a simple ‘factory’ but as a better than average workplace where a person can feel fulfilled on a professional and personal level”.
The sustainability report and events for the territory
Box Marche has been drawing up its own sustainability report since 2003. The Living Company Report is an extremely detailed work in every point, to tell all stakeholders about the life of the company in all its facets and with maximum transparency. 200 pages, whose relevance goes far beyond its content and is also confirmed by the events organized to present it to the various stakeholders, precisely to pursue that philosophy dictated by the motto ‘Living Outside the box’.
Every year over 300 people participate in the cultural event organized in the territory by Box Marche to discuss and share ideas and values. This year the conference to present the report was entitled “Common Roots” and for the occasion the Fonte Mora forest was inaugurated. Box Marche has in fact decided to plant 100 trees on the hill adjacent to the factory, of various native species with deep roots, also to prevent possible landslides in the event of adverse weather events. The wood will then be open to all, ‘donated’ to the local community.
So, Box Marche also makes boxes?
During our visit to the company, walking with Nicola Dominici through the various departments of the company, he told us that since his arrival until today, the company, in addition to considering value and sustainability of the company, has always tried to maximize efficiency and productivity. Entering the company, in the showroom there are many samples designed and made in the company, winning works at the international competitions of Pro Carton ECMA, and among all the beautiful packaging, there are many examples of bag-in-box, the boxes that contain inside them the pouches for the transport and distribution of wine. A product that is also growing on the Italian market and that turns out to be an excellent solution for transporting and consuming wine. Abroad it is already very popular, so much so that important Italian brands, producers of noble wines, adopt this packaging to export abroad, also choosing complex and ennobled graphics.
Box Marche invests a lot not only in people but also in technology: just think that in the three-year period 2021-2023, almost € 9.5 million were allocated to the renewal of the machine fleet, with great attention to improve performance, costs but above all to alleviate all those operations, which at the end of the line of a paper converting company make heavy the daily work of the operators, always with the aim to create a better workplace.
Innovative and sustainable solutions: the Halopack project
For this reason, very nice advertising campaigns were born, highlighting the activities and collaborators, protagonists of these beautiful photos that still today are proudly displayed in the various departments, but also innovative and highly distinctive projects like Halopack, the tray with a paper heart that Box Marche produces and markets on the Italian market. It is a weldable tray for foods packaged in a protective atmosphere and skin composed of approximately 90% cardboard: a valid alternative to current plastic trays guaranteeing the same shelf-life performance. Furthermore, for Halopack, no additives or glues are used, and it is compatible with the main tray closing technologies. “The cardboard, in addition to increase the green soul of the brand, can be printed on both sides, significantly enriching the communicative potential of the packaging”, adds Nicola.
From the recent trip to drupa interesting ideas for the future…
Box Marche in occasione della recente drupa, ha organizzato un viaggio di tre giorni con una decina di collaboratori, scelti fra tutti i reparti, per andare a scoprire le ultime novità e tendenze presentate in fiera. “Sono stato colpito dalla grande automazione e digitalizzazione dei processi di stampa offset e ovviamente non siamo indifferenti alle novità provenienti da player digitali, sia di stampa che di converting. Abbiamo notato inoltre che i produttori di tecnologie tradizionali stanno abbassando notevolmente il breakeven point delle loro tecnologie, e questo se raffrontato all’innalzamento della produttività delle macchine digitali, non fa che ridurre sempre di più il gap fra le due tecnologie”, conclude Nicola Dominici che ringraziamo per l’ospitalità e per averci presentato la loro bellissima realtà sia da un punto di vista “Outside the box” ma anche molto “inside the box”.
Box Marche on the occasion of the recent drupa, organized a three-day trip with a dozen of collaborators, chosen from all the departments, to go and discover the latest news and trends presented at the fair.
“I was struck by the great automation and digitalization of offset printing processes and obviously we are not indifferent to the news coming from digital players, both in printing and converting. We have also noticed that the producers of traditional technologies are significantly lowering the breakeven point of their technologies, and this, if compared to the increase in productivity of digital machines, does nothing but increasingly reduce the gap between the two technologies”, concludes Nicola Dominici. We thank him for the hospitality and for having introduced us to their beautiful reality both from an “outside the box” point of view but also very much “inside the box”.
