The Beyond Business project opens its doors to one of our suppliers, to give voice to the successful collaboration with Mevas. We do so through a dialogue with its co-founder Nico Cinquini, who contributed to the creation of a key component of the AirMill wet embosser.

Nico, introduce us to your company

Together with my partner Luca Bellandi, I founded Mevas in 2018, specializing in systems for the paper production industry.
At Mevas, we’re largely technically-minded: that’s why we present ourselves primarily from that perspective, highlighting our expertise, solidity and measurable results. When we guarantee the performance of our systems, we like to do so with data and clear objectives. At the same time, we also want to convey a sense of freshness: we’re a young company and we’ve always strived to highlight this aspect.

What intuition did you start from?

Initially, the goal was to focus on the details and the evolution of existing technologies, particularly paper-drying systems, thus increasing their potential. For example, we developed and patented innovative solutions for burners, components that had clearly been around.
This approach allowed us to achieve performance above market benchmarks and open up new possibilities, such as the use of multiple fuel types: a significant and quite innovative development for a company like ours.

How did the collaboration with Gambini start?

The Gambini team already knew us, both as a company and personally, thanks to our previous experience in the industry. When a need arose from your side to develop a solution related to the converting process, involving heated oil or alternatives compatible with the AirMill, we began a collaboration that ultimately led to the Mevas ECU, as we know it today.
It was, in effect, a custom-made project for the AirMill: Mevas didn’t have a product with those features and that level of integration. We literally “tailored” it to your machine!

How does your product work, in detail?

In our jargon, we call it a “control unit”, as it manages all the heating phases of the AirMill. Our job is to heat the oil, which is then sent to the embossing roll, which gives the paper its properties. The control unit precisely controls the heating and cooling phases of the roll, ensuring its completely safe operation.

What did the collaboration with Gambini mean to you?

For us, Gambini represented our concrete entry into the world of converting. The collaboration came about naturally, because the process of heating a carrier fluid (oil) is a core skill of our production, but certainly not common in converting. The AirMill’s specific needs met our experience; from there, a customized project was born.
The ECU was our first real converting-related product, with its own history and identity: in addition to dust extraction systems, it was the first structured product that allowed us to be present in that industry, with and thanks to Gambini.

What is your perception of the difference between converting and paper mills?

I must admit that sometimes they seem like two different worlds. We are fortunate to work in multiple paper-related fields: from tissue production to converting, including cardboard and corrugators.
It’s interesting how the AirMill seeks to blur the lines between these two phases, bringing one process (paper-making) into the other (converting). Historically, converting has primarily involved automation, control and precision mechanics, with very little focus on the process in terms of heat and energy. With the AirMill, however, a paradigm shift happens: a process component is introduced into converting, with tangible effects on finished products.

How has Mevas grown since 2018?

Three of us started out – me, my partner and the current Technical Director, Luca Conti -, doing automation, engineering and consulting. Growth occurred when we chose to take key technologies for paper and drying and push them to the limit in terms of performance: that’s how the first proprietary systems and patents were born, resulting in innovative products and concrete, measurable results. This “measurability” has become a distinguishing feature of ours: those who choose us know that, in addition to quality, they are buying verifiable performance and often an immediate impact on specific costs.
Despite the Covid period, we grew rapidly. Two factors made the difference: our previous experience in the sector (and therefore already solid relationships and credibility) and the team’s passion, which has become a true daily driving force. Today, our headquarters are in Porcari, in a more suitable and spacious location than where we began.

Do you also have a marketing department?

Starting this year, we have an in-house communications department, led by Giulia D’Annibale, because communication has always been important to us. So much so that, from the very beginning, we invested in developing our brand, with the help of an external firm. It was an unusual choice for such a small company, but we already had clear ideas and wanted to build a solid identity right away.

With Gambini you share another important value: tailor-made

“Tailor-made” is one of the hallmarks Mevas brings to the market, as we are able to develop precise solutions for our clients very quickly, another key competitive advantage, especially in such a fast-moving world. In our partnership with Gambini, we’ve rediscovered a dynamic that we feel is our own. The hunger to innovate and bring something new to the market is a daily need we also feel at Mevas. Furthermore, there’s the human aspect: when interacting with Gambini’s people, we’ve often had the feeling of speaking the same language, even on an emotional level. This has made everyday working relationships more fluid and natural, in every department.

How do you see the future, together with us and your own?

For both companies, the future lies in continuing to have that hunger. We developed this product together and it was a significant milestone, but you can never stop: you need new products and the will to never settle for what’s already been achieved. And on this point, we’re sure Gambini has no intention of slowing down!

For Mevas, the goals are constantly changing, because as we grow, new scenarios open up: what was central a year ago may no longer be so today. But we have the advantage of having everything in-house, from the workshop to the technical expertise, to the ability to customize: this allows us to continue to offer much, much more.