The Arioli Group has provided the perfect platform for integration of three companies – Arioli, Brazzoli and MHM – globally recognized as technological references in their respective fields of application. The consolidation is part of a business plan that has made the Arioli Group one of the textile machinery industry leaders and also ensuring solid financial structure.
Since 2012, the year of the three brands’ merger, the turnover and the gross profit of Arioli increased, resulting in greater financial strength. A further growth is also expected in the coming years with an industrial development plan already launched.
About 230 employees work on different European facilities collaborating synergistically and efficiently. The integration of the three companies has enabled the Arioli Group to broaden its competencies by designing and launching on the market new technical solutions ranging from digital printing on fabric and garments, from finishing to dyeing, matching the different needs of the textile market.
Aftersales service
In 2016 Arioli invested on developing a direct aftersales service network in the most strategic areas to ensure customers adequate professional support to the actual market needs. Through direct subsidiaries, Bratex in Suzhou (China) and Arioli do Brasil in Brusque (Brazil), and new exclusive service center in Tirupur (India), SS Tech Solution, Arioli Spa can already offer a customer service department of highly qualified technicians, able to provide a full range of services and rapid solutions to any problem on any brand belonging to the group (Arioli, Brazzoli and MHM).
These companies have a local spareparts deposit and are able to import, from Italy where necessary, and deliver parts directly to the customer. Continuous training of the local technical staff at the Italian works is vital and essential to improve services and guarantee the clients’ professionalism and know-how.
The Arioli Group is following the same strategy even in other main textile markets like Pakistan and Turkey establishing in 2017 new agreements with local companies operating with qualified staff for service support.
We will now take a quick look into each of the companies and their recent product launches.
Arioli
Founded in 1953, the engineering company Arioli Spa started by supporting textile industries of Milan and Como. During the initial years it specialized in finishing, especially steamers and industrial washing lines, becoming the market leader. Arioli has a strong presence for its steamers and washers in the Indian market. The brand is represented in India by Batliboi.
In a few years Arioli has sold its range of continuous steamers and washing lines to customers like Vardhman, Trident and Arvind. Globally, India, Turkey, South America, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China are some of the key markets of Arioli for the fabric finishing segment.
Today Vapo2015, with its digital kit, can be used in all the continuous production lines for processing all types of fabrics and for various printing recipes, avoiding the marks between the printed surface of the fabric and the back side.
Arioli UniWash, thanks its patented system Acquajet with water blades that uniformly wash both fabric sides (front and rear), can wash even the most delicate fabrics, with minimum risks of clogging compared to a traditional nozzle system.
ArioPrint – the digital revolution
In 2015 Arioli forayed into digital printing with the launch of its ArioPrint, a roll-to-roll digital printing machine designed by Arioli’s R&D Team. After years of research and development, ArioPrint has proved an innovative machine that fully meets the different needs of the printers. The stiffness of the steel monolithic structure ensures essential precision for optimum printing results guaranteed over time.
The use of optical fibers enables reaching high speed and data transfer between the PC and printing heads. Moreover, thanks to the technology used, ArioPrint is not affected by “classical” electro-magnetic interferences, thus avoiding possible data transmission problems and consequent interruptions.
The hardware and software planning and programming allows an easy and intuitive use of the machine even for less experienced operators. The Arioli digital printer allows a full 2 meter printing width on woven and knitted fabrics with flexible resolutions. The ArioPrint is loaded with 16 Kyocera double channel printing heads and a one-passage dryer, which avoids print marks that normally come out in smaller or three-passage dryers.
ArioPrint-16 can print from 300 x 300dpi to 1200 x 1200dpi at 1000 sqm/h in MULTIPASS mode, which confirms ArioPrint’s best bi-directional print quality on the market today.
Brazzoli
Founded in the late sixties, Brazzoli is globally recognized as one of the major constructors of dyeing machinery. Brazzoli has over the years optimized the industrial process of discontinuous dyeing, becoming the world technological reference. Today, it is providing innovative machines for customer satisfaction. Brazzoli is undoubtedly the largest brand in the Arioli Group contributing to nearly 50 per cent of the group’s revenues. Its key global markets include China, Turkey, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
India is a very important market for Brazzoli, represented by Batliboi across the country, except in Tirupur where it is represented by Sarnita. Brazzoli has executed many major projects, including a dyeing line for Welspun’s Vapi unit. Tirupur has been another key market for it.
Ecologic Plus – another major step forward
At ITMA 2015, Brazzoli introduced Ecologic Plus, designed for light and heavy rope fabric dyeing. The innovation in the new Ecologic Plus allows it to increase its total automatization. Brazzoli has created the new Optimized Performance System (OPS) to replace the traditional system WSS, allowing an even better liquor recirculation control. The fabric handling system has been revised to increase the fabric speed, avoiding any pilling and crease marks problems even in the most delicate fabric.
Machine solidity has reached an even higher level and the maintenance process has been changed, drastically reducing down times and consequently optimizing production cycles.
Rubber replacement
The innovations introduced make the new Ecologic Plus a machine at the forefront for rope fabric dyeing process, optimizing its total automation. With this new machine the maintenance downtimes are drastically reduced. In fact, in just 40 seconds it is possible to replace a reel rubber, which means that in less than 5 minutes you can replace all the reel rubbers without having to remove or force the whole group.
All maintenance activities, normally requiring hours, can now be accomplished in a few minutes determining a sharp increase in productivity.
MHM
The Austrian company MHM has adopted an innovative approach to establish itself as a leading global specialist in textile screen printing equipment. Recognized worldwide as the industry pioneer, the research and development team continually monitors the changing demands and needs of customers, embracing the very latest developments. Innovation, quality and reliability are always the strong point of the company.
Arioli acquired MHM six years back and has grown the business consistently since then with 10 per cent year-on-year growth. Some of the key global markets for MHM include India, Bangladesh, China and South America.
India will be an important market for the Arioli Group, having worked very hard in the past three years closely with Indian customers, and the results have been very positive. The company sees the Indian market offering more opportunities in the future.
iQ-Digital – the textile printing transformation
The latest FESPA exhibition in Hamburg was the venue for the official iQ-Digital launch. Marketed by MHM as being “the first digital hybrid solution for true high volume, high quality textile printing”, the iQ-Digital has a maximum speed of 1080 pieces per hour and a maximum print area of 63 x 120 cm.
This amazing innovation in automated digital production utilizes the unique feature of the ground-breaking iQ-Oval: by its modular design, the machine is perfect to accept the new MHM digital bridge.
Printing on both sides of the oval, the iQ-Digital bridge can personalize two pieces/garments in one high-speed pass.
High speed, low and high quantity production runs are finally possible using the proven digital technology of Ricoh print heads, DuPont inks and the outstanding reliability of the MHM iQ-Oval. Adding special effects to digital prints is now easily achievable, and discharge, foil and even flock can be used with DTG all at the same time on the same machine.
Like the ArioPrint machine, the monolithic frame gives an amazing rigidity and absolute absence of vibrations, ensuring the transfer of a huge quantity of information without any interference. The use of optical fibers, moreover, enables reaching high speed and data transfer between the PC and printing heads.
The MHM iQ-Digital is the first real game-changer in the DTG arena and has been already described as the most exciting development in high production digital garment decoration, able to achieve the demands of today’s markets.