TORONTO—Laminam, a global leader in producing superior Italian natural surfaces for interior and exterior design applications, has officially released the company’s 2022 Sustainability Report, stating a dedicated multifaceted approach to channeling investments towards the environment, people, and the territory in which it operates.
“Performance levels have been more than positive in 2022, a year which proved to be challenging for a vast majority of consolidated businesses,” stated Alberto Selmi, Laminam’s CEO. “Laminam benefited from wise strategic choices, capitalizing on investments made as early as 2021 and choosing to strengthen these investments for the future, focusing on the group’s milestones: internationalization, digitization, human resources and sustainable innovation.”
Innovation Must Be Sustainable
“Our investments have always been made for the ultimate improvement of products and processes, day after day. We believe that this is the only concrete way to ensure sustainable development for future generations,” explained Selmi. “Today’s development should drive the well-being of future generations and innovation is only real if it strikes a respectful balance with its surroundings.”
This vision therefore not only looks to the immediate future, but also beyond, and it is articulated in tangible and measurable actions. The 2021/2022 two-year period saw the implementation of a substantial investment plan in new plants and machinery to support both an increase in production and an improvement in environmental performance levels.
These include the renewal and extension of the photovoltaic system in Fiorano, Italy, which is distinguished by a peak power of 1,432 kW. Thanks to this expansion, Laminam is now in a position, during daytime hours, to meet the energy needs of its three electric kilns—the only one to own them in the porcelain district—entirely with solar power.
This year, a photovoltaic system is in the works for Borgotaro, Italy, and another in Castellón, Spain, along with two trigeneration projects. Laminam is also continuing its studies into the CO2 capture process, with its sophisticated system allowing the brand to reduce emissions significantly, retaining the pollutants in the fumes and not producing any CO2 in the purification process, which is the case when using afterburners.
These activities are part of the sustainable industrial development model, successfully reaching the highest standards in the sector. From the gradual break away from traditional energy sources to consumption level efficiency, scraps reduction, and recovery, Laminam’s view is to achieve circularity while paying particular attention to safeguarding biodiversity.
Laminam is determined to achieve increasingly ambitious and certifiable goals. Throughout 2022, the company’s existing extensive range of certifications has been supplemented with the ISO 14064-1 certification, resulting from the study on the Company’s Carbon Footprint, along with the ISO 20400 “Sustainable Procurement” Certification.
Internationalization as a Driver of Development
Laminam is working hard to become an increasingly more global, synergistic and integrated company. As part of this engagement, 2022 proved to be a milestone year due to the brand’s acquisition of Best Surface, the name of the group’s first plant located in Spain in the heart of the porcelain district of Castellón de la Plana. Famous for its excellent reputation, and according to the CEO “a team of well-trained and passionate people, who immediately proved to be perfectly in sync with the Laminam spirit”.
Over the year, the establishment of Laminam Benelux BV distribution center in the Netherlands and the acquisition of Interstone Poland, a leading importer and distributor of natural stone, further strengthened the brand’s international presence. Today, Laminam boasts four production plants, a service company in Italy and eleven sales branches, backed by warehouses and logistics hubs in all the main geographical areas, multiple flagship stores as well as a network of distributors across the globe.
While the physical network continues to grow, the digital network is equally expanding. Two key projects have been launched in Product Information Management (PIM) and the Digital go-to-market, including the “Click-n Cut” e-commerce platform, which allows marble workers to view product availability in Laminam warehouses in real-time and forward orders independently. This project confirms how digitizing processes can contribute to improving customer satisfaction and deliver significant added value.
People-centric Approach
The starring role of the latest edition of the Sustainability Report was played by the “human factor”, which is confirmed as a key element of development. In 2022, recruiting activities continued across Italy and abroad, in continuation of the previous year’s activities. It was not just a question of occupational growth but rather of Laminam’s strategic determination to promote a culture of well-being for the benefit of its valued employees.
The company launched LAMINAM CARES, a project that brings together corporate welfare initiatives and health prevention and protection activities. While the numbers are often inadequate to represent a broad concept such as that of “well-being”, they remain indicators of a healthy and balanced workforce. At Laminam, nine out of 10 employment contracts are open-ended; eight out of 10 employees are under the age of fifty and 36 percent are women. Additionally, over 9,000 hours of training were provided in 2022 with no serious work-related injuries.
For more information about Laminam, visit www.laminam.com.
